Evening star., 1942-10-26
II Of 36 Enemy Craft
Shot Down Prior to
Fierce Assaults
BY the Associated Press.

Despite incessant pounding o.
their naval supports, the Japa.
nese have landed fresh troops or
Guadalcanal and are hammer.
ing determinedly at American
defenses.
The Navy reported last night
that enemy troops, using tanks
and heavy artillery barrage
threw themselves against the
western defense lines five times
Friday night and Saturday
morning. Each time they were
hurled back.
= The first four attacks were re-
pulsed by Army and Marine Corps
troops and artillery batteries, which
destroyed five enemy tanks. There
was no mention of American tanks
in action.
The fifth onslaught, early Satur-
day, was broken up by aircraft and
artillery, with the loss of one United
States plane.
20 Zeros Shot Down.
The Friday night assault was pre-
ceded by an aerial attack during
which our Grumman Wildcats de-
stroyed an entire fighter escort of
20 zeros, shot down one of 16 enemy
bombers and damaged three others.
Yesterday morning additional
enemy troops we're landed from
transports on the northwest end
of Gaudalcanal, the Navy reported,
adding:
mo amplifying report on these
operations has been received
American bombers and fighters,
sweeping out from the Guadalcanal
airf1eld and other Allied bases, con-
tinued to slam away at japanese
ships, damaging or possibly dam
aging five warships and three mer-
chant vessels and sinking a gunboat
A light cruiser and a destroyer
were hit in a raid over the Short
land Island area during the night
Of October 1928 and a heavy cruiser,
or battleship, was possibly damaged
by torpedo hit.
Cruiser Damaged.
On october 25 Douglas Daunt-
less dive -bombers swooped down
destroyers Immediately north of
Florida Island, which is about 13
miles north of Guadalcanal, and
damaged a cruiser The preceding
night another enemy cruiser was re-
ported probably damaged about 300
miles northeast of Guadalcanal.
In addition Gen. MacArthur's
headquarters in Australia reported
that Flying Fortresses smashed at
a concentration of japanese ships
in the harbor of Rabaul, New
Britain; sank a gunboat and pos
sibly destroyed three merchantmen
for three-night toll of 100000 tons
of shipping destroyed or damaged.
Fifteen ships have been either
sunk or badly damaged in the three
nights of attacks on the harbor, it
was announced
In the latest raid, a Macarthur
communique said, II tons of bombs
were dropped on the Rabaul area,
sinking the gunboat with a direct
hit and leaving three merchantmen
totaling 10000 tons listing badly or
on fire.
Heavy Jap Losses.
This brings the total tonnage by
actual observation completely de-
stroyed or badly damaged in this
harbor during the past three nights
to approximately 10000 TONS" the
Communique said. cat least 10000
tons in addition are believed to have
received more or less serious dam
age"
There were no Allied losses.
In another action aimed at ham,
pering japanese efforts to recon-
quer the Solomon Isalnds, Allied
airmen branched out to Kavieng,
New Ireland, where Japanese four
engine bomber was destroyed on the
ground. Fires started among sup
ply and fuel dumps were visible for
80 miles, returning pilots said
Other bombers, In the northwest
ern sector of Gen. Macarthur S
command, raided an airdrome at
Koepang, Dutch Timor, starting
huge fires.
Mountain Fighting Continued.
Fighting continued in the Owen
Stanley range of New Guinea, but
the general situation was reported
unchanged.
Allied attack planes swept up and
down the trail north of Isurava in
support of ground action.
A spokesman for Gen. Macarthur
said the Japanese continued their
determined resistance from prepared
positions near Alola, less than nine
miles south of Kokoda, japanese
base
Alola is still high in the Owen
Stanley mountains and short of the
dropping off point where the trail
falls sharply toward Kokoda.