Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-04
|RommeI Pushed Back
In 2 Egyptian Areas;
Jops Imperi| Airfie|d
More Troops Landed,
Enemy's Threat to
GuudulcunuI Rises
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
American troops on Guadal-
canal have called on aerial and
naval power to smash a newly
contrived Japanese wise threat
ening to close in on the islands
strategic airfield.
While United States marines and
soldiers, dive bombers and destroyers
threw bullets, bombs and shells at
the invaders westward of the air
base, Nipponese vessels made a new
landing of troops to the east under
cover of darkness.
This added peril to the American
held field, base of many an aerial
attack on Japanese ships, troops and
installations, was announced at q
press conference by Secretary of the
Navy Knox yesterday shortly after
he had cautioned the Nation against
any false optimism over the battle
of the Solomons.
Despite the American offensive
which earlier drove the foe back in
the western portion of the island,
the new japanese landings on Mon
day night obviously indicated the
enemy still was desperately bent on
capturing the airfield and with it,
control of the Allies South Pacific
supply lines.
Push Beyond Kokoda.
Westward of the SOlomons Cen
Douglas MacArthur's headquarters
announced that advance groups Of
the Allied army in New Guinea
have pushed nearly 6 miles beyond
Kokoda, inland Japanese base cap
tured Monday, and are approaching
the village of Oivi on the road to the
important Japanese coastal base at
Buna.
The retreat of the Japanese to-
ward Buna was continuing, the
communique said, and there appar-
emily was little fighting in the diff.
cult New Guinea jungle country.
There is narrow road leading
from Kokoda to Buna and the Al
lied supply problem was eased further
because Kokoda has a small air.
field permitting the landing OF sup
ply planes from Port Moresby, main
Allied base in New Guinea.
The Japanese have held Buna
since July % when 1t was occupied
by a sea-borne force. Although I'M
der almost daily attack by Allied
bombers, the Runa garrison has been
supplied by barge and larger ships
from the japanese bases at Lac and
Salamaua, farther north on the
New Guinea cost, and from Japa-
nese held New Britain.
Ship Still Burning.
The most recent attempt to re-
inforce the garrison was frustrated
Monday when Allied bombers found
convoy of two transports. a light
cruiser and destroyer and attacked
in three waves between New Guinea
and New Britain. One of the trans
ports was set afire and apparently
was abandoned off the south coast
Of New Britain. Allied reconnais-
sance planes found the ship. sta
tionary and still burning, of the
coast yesterday.
While the ground forces under
Gen. MacArthur's command pursued
the retreating Japanese in New
Guinea, his bombers continued their
support of the United States forces
in the Solomons by raiding enemy
shipping at anchorage between BUN
and Faisi in the northernmost Sol
ONION Island of Bougainville.
The raid was made under cover
of darkness and results could not
be observed, the communique said.
Other bombers raided the jap
anese- occupied town and dock areas
of Dill in Portuguese Timor, north
west of Australia and found fires
still burning from the raid Of the
previous day. New fires were started.
The Allied bombers were inter-
copied by at least five Japanese
fighters and the communique re-
ported that one was certainly de-
stroyed, one damaged and another
probably damaged. All the Allied
planes returned to their base.
Jap Positions Bombarded.
Meanwhile, the Navy disclosed
here that destroyers bombarded the
japanese positions on Guadalcanal,
west of Henderson airfield, Sunday.
Dive bombers also swooped down on
the foe in the northwestern section
of the island, where the Japanese
have landed most of their REIN
forcements. 1t was the following
night that the enemy landed more
troops to the east.
While terming the first phase Of
the battle a signal success" Secre-
tary Knox left no doubt at his press
conference that he expected an
enemy fleet of considerable pro-
portions" to come boiling back in
another about effort to take the
island.
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