Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-25
Seven Important
Positions Taken
On Guada|cana|
Bose Near Mundu
Nearly Wiped Out;
201 Jops Killed
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
American forces on a general
offensive in the Solomon Islands
were reported by the Navy today
to have won seven important po-
sitions from the enemy on Quad
alcanal, to have killed 201 Jap
soldiers and captured 40 and to
have virtually wiped out an
enemy island base 1870 miles to
the northwest by sea and air at
tack.
The places captured. COM
munique said, were six important
elevations west of the American
airfleld on Guadalcanal and the
coastal village of Kokunbona where
quantities of stores and eouipnent
were seized.
This meant that the American
front lines had been advanced about
2 to miles beyond previously held
Point Cruz which had been the
furthest known point of advance on
the coast.
The front apparently is being
pushed forward in an effort to bottle
up and eventually wipe out dwin-
ding japanese forces on the north
western end of the island. The
enemy still holds about Is miles of
coastline on the northern side Of
Guadalcanal.
Enemy Area Burned Out.
The heavy attacks against the
Japanese island base were delivered
by both airplanes and warships on
Saturday and Sunday. the COM
munique said. The island attacked
was Kolombangara In the Munda
area of the New Georgia group.
THE operations were successfully
completed" the cominunique said.
and fires from explosions of fuel
and ammunition dumps indicated
that the enemy held area was COM
pletely burned out"
OF the POI Japanese reported
killed, lilo were slain on Friday
tGuadalcanal time) when American
ground forces launched a heavy at.
tack against enemy positions on the
west front. Heavy opposition was
encountered but six important ele-
vations were captured.
Saturday, Continued aggressive
tactics" resulted in the capture of
Kokumbona- The attack on that
point, authorities here said, prob
ably was facilitated by the previous
days capture Of the important
heights, which presumably COM
manded the Kokumborla area.
Also on Saturday. American troops
continued hopping up pockets of
enemy resistance, captured 40 Jap
prisoners and killed 81.
Two Jap Ships Damaged.
American aircraft, meanwhile, at
tackled a large Jap destroyer and a
cargo ship in the Shorthand Island
area in the Northwestern Solomons
and both were damaged. Japanese
planes replied with an attack on
Guadalcanal Saturday night, but
the communique made no report
OF the results of that raid.
The enemy installations on
Kolombangara apparently were ex-
tensive in view of the report of
widespread fires and explosions. The
nature of those installations was not
reported, but there was speculation
here that the Japanese may have
had small air field there to oper-
ate in coordination with their main
central base in the Soiomons at
Munda.
The island has some level ground,
which is mostly dense mangrove
swamp, but might be made to serve
for at least limited aerial facilities.
kolombangara is about 1917 miles
in extent and is of volcanic origin.
an extinct crater in its center aris-
ing to a maximum height of $3.50
feet. Around this are smaller peaks.
Costal Point Closed to Japs.
The capture of Kokumbona was
one Of the greatest conquests of
American land forces in the Solo,
mons to date. 1t denies to the enemy
a coastal point which was formerly
used in landing supplies and REIN
forcements, and at the same time
shows that the total area over which
the enemy can maneuver and hide in
his tenacious attempts to maintain
at least a toe-hold on Gaudalcanal
has been considerably reduced.
Only last week a marine officer
recently returned from the embat-
tied island estimated that the total
number OF japanese troops now re-
naming on the island was less than
1000. and he said that an about
effort to eliminate this force prob
ably could be accomplished in about
10 days,
Whether such an about drive
actually is now under way was not
indicated in today's report, but was
considered by authorities here to be
a possibility. The marine officer
expressed the opinion that If the
Japanese. long since cut off from
reinforcements and supplies of any
considerable quantity, we're pressed
close to Cape Esperance, at the
extreme northwestern tip of the
island. they would probably sur
render.