Evening star., 1942-11-17
Dominates Soomons Area After Navy Victory Over Jops
Continued From First Pase,)

NaiVAlucu rTOM rlTSG FaBe.)
mons area. This was the beginning
Or an attempted major assault to
fecapture Henderson airfield and
other American positions in the
Guadalcanal-T -Tulagi region.
Drive Started November 10.
The Rising Suns offensive was
under way November 10, with three
paval forces steaming to the attack.
One prong approached the South
Eastern Solomons from the north.
Fhe other detachments, counting
nany transports, closed in from
Rabaul and BUM, where they al
Teady had felt the lash of bombs
from Gen. Douglas MacArthur's
planes.
The fees spearhead-two battle
hips OF the Kongo class, two heavy
cruisers, four light cruisers and
about 10 destroyerS-boiled into the
Fuadalcanal battle zone after mid
Night of November IS.
An intended bombardfnmt of the
American-held airfield preparatory
% large scale landing 81 troops
vas thwarted suddenly by American
Yarships arriving at the right mo-
Hent. 1t was in this close-range
Hattle that the Japanese vessels
Slammed away at each other, un-
Willingly committing a sort of naval
Nara-kiri.
Daylight brought retirement of
what remained of the Jap fleet.
United States aircraft picked OF
Crippled enemy vessels left behind
as the foe retreated northward.
Tried Again to Land.
Stubbornly, the japanese tried
again to land heavy reinforcements
for their forces on Guadalcanal.
That afternoon IL transports loaded
with troops and heavily guarded by
warships were spotted moving on to
the embattled island from the
Bougainville area.
Shortly after midnight on Novem-
Der IA the enemy warships fired
round after round at the American
positions on the island. Then the
transports closed in for a landing.
American planes struck quickly
and viciously. Torpedoes and bombs
smashed into the heavily loaded
transports and eight went to the
bottom. The four others eluded the
barrage and maneuvered toward
Guadalcanal.
Four cargo transports, presumably
these same vessels that had escaped
the slaughter, were discovered the
following day beached at Tassafa-
ronga about 71a miles west of Quad
alcanal. Air, artillery and naval
gunfire reduced them to wreckage.
Further Battling.
Meanwhile. other japanese war
ships collided again with American
forces during the night of November |
IA and Is near Guadalcanal The
Navy was awaiting full reports on
this encounter
The sea battle ended that morn
Ing. A United States air patrol
sighted the remainder of the Japa-
nese fleet limping northward. 1t did
not reappear.
Regardless of what enemy Off
GERS thought, spokesmen from the
land of the Rising Sun claimed in
short wave radio broadcasts that the
American fleet had been annihilated
again.
The Federal Communications Com
mission reported in New York yes
terday that Toxic propagandists
contended the battle of the Solo,
mons "is proving fatal to the Ameri-
can Navy; that "the japanese have
the Americans where they want
them and mean to keep them there
until no American warship is left
in active service ..s
{ U. s. Kept in Dark, Japs Say.
L The Office of War Information
recorded a Toxic broadcast today
in which the Japanese people were
Sold the American Navy's miserable
defeat is kept in the dark
Curiously, this japanese Language
broadcast for home consumption was
followed up by trumpetings beamed
TO the United States about the
Honesty of Japanese communiques.
Other English language broadcasts.
phC odlO llOtlllAA6 dUOuU
the United States Navy communique,
Sut repeated over and over again the
imperial high commands exaggerat-
I'd claims of virtual destruction of
American naval power in the
Solomons.
The figures, ss reported by the
Navy, however, show that the Solo,
hons conflict has resulted in de-
&ruction of IS japanese ships with
five others probably sunk and II
damaged. The American losses were
3iven as "a vessels sunk and at least
dve damaged.
The Navy credited Gen. MacAr-
hur's aircraft with great assist
! Snce" in the victory. His bombers
repeatedly blasted at the japanese
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