Evening star., 1942-10-18

pOSCpOnement Tor long time the
Jap surrender.
Pacific Front
Even the Japs will agree that we have
both the men and the tools for the
task'-Admiral Chester w. Nimitz, COM
mander of the Pacific Fleet, in reporting
on American preparedness in the Solo,
mons and on the neighboring islands
Recently Army ground and air units
have moved to Guadalcanal to reinforce
the Marines who seized important posi-
tlons in the Solomons and are tenacious
ly holding them against vigorous Japa-
nese counterattacks" L. Stimson,
Secretary of War.
These statements from men in a posi-
ton to know provided the civilians of
the United States and
fIerce Fight our Allies, especially
For Airport New Zealand, which has
men in the Solomons,
and the Fighting French, which has
men in the neighboring New Hebrides
and New Caledonia, with confidence as
the great battle began Now in the
jungles which only a few months ago
heard noises no more disturbing than
the feasting songs of fuzzy headed black
men, blazing guns bark all day and all
night long in the fight for the Guadal-
canal airport-a key point in the strategy
of the Solomons battle.
Japan had $4,000 troops on the island
OF Guadalcanal when the new attack
began. Friday the Navy announced in
a communique that these had been
Joined by a large number of enenly
troops with equipment" landed from
Japanese ships under cover of fire from
naval guns. The japanese ground forces
set up artillery emplacements with which
they bombarded the Guadalcanal airport.
the only important aerial land base
IN the island group. It's possession gives
the Allies major advantage over the
enemy, whose air strength in the battle
must be based largely on the vulnerable
carriers.
The strength of the japanese force,
naval, land and air, is unknown. and the
strength Of our force for the battle is. of
course, military secret. The Nayv dis
closed on Monday that the United States
lost three heavy cruisers-the Quincy,
Vincennes and the Astoria-in the Solo
mons on the night of August S-9, day
after the marines made their first land
ing in the Solomons. The Navy disclosed
the next day that on October 9 and II,
few days before the japanese began
their current attack, marine airmen
damaged two enemy light cruisers and
shot down Is enemy planes. Rear
Admiral John S. Mccain, new chief of
the Bureau of Aeronautics, in empha-
sizing the superiority of Allied air op-
erations in the Solomons, said that from
August 81 to September IT, the Japanese
lost 1873 planes over Guadalcanal Island
to Is American planes
The Allies entered the battle of the
Southwest Pacific with two major tao
tical advantages in position: they held
both the Guadalcanal airfield and the
major naval anchorage in the islands, in
the sound between Tulagi and Florida
Islands. The nearest major Jap base is
at Rabaul, on the island of New Britain,
close to 1000 miles north and west of
Guadalcanal. The battle is spread over
many islands and great patches of the
southern sea. The outward signs leave
the impression that the effort at the
Solomons represents Japan's most stu
pendous undertaking since the initial
Jap advance of the war halted after the
conquest of the Indies and of Burma.
Japan has been preparing. She has
been withdrawing in China. She has
been inactive in Burma when India could
be easily attacked. She has been moving
backward in New Guinea
Ionon Reody She has given up three
Eor Effort islands in the Aleutians.
All the japanese ener-
ries have been concentrated for action
at one point and now it is plain that
noint is the Solomons and the sur
rounding islands which, with the Solo
mons, lie along the communications
route to Australia-Fiji New Hebrides,
I ew Caledonia.
Motor torpedo boats, which 1t. John
L. Bulkley made celebrated in Manila
Eay curing the campaign on Bataan,
went back into action in the Solomons
last week, and one of them, according to
the Navy Department communique OF
Friday, probably scored hit on
cruiser in the Allied attempt to pre-
vent jap landings on Guadalcanal. The
troops that were landed were brought
I'D on transports covered not only by
cruisers and destroyers but also by
battleship, which was damaged by
bomb from the air. The Japs were
landed Wednesday. Two days earlier
American reinforcements were put
ashore.
The American ground strength on
Guadalcanal includes Marines and SOL
diers. who are under the immediate
of Maj. Gen. Millard F. Har-
mon, a flyer who piloted pursuit ship |
over France during the World War. The
Marines are led by Maj. Gen. Alexander
A. vandegrift, who, after the initial
a assault by the reinforced Japs on Quad
. .lcanal, told his men: God favors the
hold and strong of heart"