Evening star., 1942-10-16
Enemy's Use Of
Big Ships Puts
Stress on Drive
BY the Associated Press.

American and japanese force
were believed locked today in {
series of deadly hide-and-seel
battles on land, at sea and in tn,
air in the lower Solomon Islands
with the fate of perhaps tn,
whole Southwest Pacific hanginf
In the balance.
A powerful armada of Japanes.
battleships, cruisers and destroyer
the first capital ships risked by
Japan in the struggle for the 900
mile-long archipelago-was reported
maneuvering near Savo Island, i'm.
mediately north of Guadalcanal Is.
land, while Japanese bombers furi.
ously attempted to knock out tn.
key Guadalcanal air base.
The Navy in Washington an.
nounced last night that 27 bomber.
attacked the flying field within the
previous "a hours, following up ar
earlier bombardment by japanese
naval guns.
But the invaders were paying q
heavy toll in ships and lives, as in
dicated by Navy report that three
enemy transports previously DAM
aged by bombs had been beached
by the Japanese and still were
burning.
Light Cruiser Damaged.
In addition, Gen. Douglas Mac.
Arthur's headquarters reported that
Allied bombers attacking the en-
eny's far-drawn communication
lines in the Northern Solomons had
seriously damaged Japanese light
cruiser off the southern tip of Bou-
gainville Island.
Strong United States naval forces
were presumably backing up the
defenders and striking at the enemy
fleet in the maze of islands.
Even the Jap will agree that we
have both the men and the tools for
the task" was the confident eX-
preston voiced by Admiral Chester
w. Nimitz, communicative chief Of
the Pacific Fleet.
With a battlefield about the size
of New York's Long Island, blank
eted with dense jungles and studded
with hills, the reinforced japanese
we're reported holding strong posi-
tions on the island while American
troops apparently moved up to the
attack.
The Navy indicated earlier that
United States ground forces had
taken the initiative, inflicting heavy
casualties on the japanese in a
two-day offensive.
Air Base Site Attacked.
A Japanese naval vessel, believed
to be a submarine, also shelled
Espiritu Santo Island on the night
of October 14-15, the Navy reported.
The island, site of an American
air base, is $50 miles southeast OF
Guadalcanal.
While the struggle between rein
forced japanese and American
troops developed on Guadalcanal
Allied bombers continued a two
pronged offensive from United
States airfelds and Gen. Mac
Arthur's headquarters.
Army Flying Fortresses splasheo
explosives on the airfleld and shore
installations at Buka. Japanese base
about 375 nautical miles northwest
of Guadalcanal wrecking or dam.
aging 10 enemy bombers and fight
ers
Six more japanese fighter planes
were shot down at the enemy base
at BUN on the southeast coast OF
Bougainville Island. and two enemy
cargo ships were damaged on Oc-
tober II.
Japs' Moves Emphasized.
Disclosure that the enemy has
risked his capital vessels In the
vicinity Of Guadalcanal emphasized
his grim determination to regain
control Of the island and smash the
American offensive in the Southwest
Pacific at virtually any cost.
A Navy communique yesterday
afternoon said American Army
troops now were fighting shoulder
to shoulder with the marines, which
originally invaded the island anc
captured it's airfield from the Japa'
nese last August.
These land forces have met the
enemy's reinforced jungle legions ir
rough country west of the airport
and it appeared that the main lane
fight was developing there.
The Navy communique, which
gave the most complete account ye'
of the action, described the enemy''
forces and told Of new blows deal
the japanese in preliminary phases
of the fighting. 1t listed seven Jap
anese ships, including a battle
ship, as having been damaged 1r
the previous four days and report
ed certain destruction of % enemy
planes, with 10 more either de.
stroyed or damaged.
On the other hand, the enemy
was reported to have been success
full in bombing the vital American
airfleld. and the previously an
nounced bombardment OF the fielc
anu It's uClCliSCo Wy cdPdAiCoC oAA
face ships last Tuesday night was
described as heavy" Loss of two
United States fighter planes also
was announced.
But there were no indications oi
how the areo- eo-amphibous battle wa.
going, or whether either side hac
gained any advantage which woulc
give 1t an edge on victory.
The pattern Of the initial Jap.
Anese assault became clear from the
communiQue's account Of the &C.
tions leading up to the furious en-.
gagement. The Japs' purpose
throughout was to knock out the
airfield to deprive the American
defenders of their aerial support
In this they apparently were not
successful, since the planes were In
action after the enemy attacks.
The first of the Japanese attacks
came on the night of October 1914
when the surface ships. including
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