Evening star., 1943-04-08
7U. ). Craft Lost
In Great Clash
Off Guada|c canal.
so Bombers and
48 Zeros in Enemy
Attacking Force
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
American fighter planes de-
stroyed 81 japanese aircraft in a
sky battle over the Southeastern
Solomon Islands Wednesday,
when the enemy struck at Amer
lean shipping off Guadalcanai
with an armada of SO planes, the
Navy announced today. Seven
American fighters were lost, but
one pilot was rescued.
The battle, one of the greatest
ever fought in the air of that area,
climaxed two-day period of aerial
activity during which American
planes made six forays against enc
my installations throughout the
Solomons archipelago.
Whether the Japanese, whose
force included so bombers and 4s
Zeros, were successful in reaching
American ships at Guadalcanal was
not reported
Jap installations Attacked.
Navy communique No. 337 said:
South Pacific (all dates east
lonigtude).
Il. On April 6:
"(A) During the morning a force
OF Dauntless douglas SBD) and
Avenger CGrumman TBF) dive
bombers escorted by Wildcat (Grum-
man F4F) fighters attacked Jap
anese installations at Villa. in the
Central Solomons; hits were scored
IN the target area and a large fire
was started All United States
planes returned.
"(B) In the early evening three
japanese planes bombed Guadal-
canal. There were no casualties to
personnel and only light damage
was reported.
"(C) During the night of April
81, Catalina consolidated PBY)
patrol bombers attacked Villa. At
the same time, Flying Fortresses
(Boeing BID attacked Japanese
installations at Kahili, in the Short
land Island area, and also small en-
emy shipping between Choiseul Is
land and Santa Isabel Island
Large Fire Started at Villa.
%. On April 7:
"(a) During the early morning
force of Dauntless and Avenger
dive bombers, escorted by fighters.
attacked Villa. Hits were scored on
Japanese anti-aircraft positions in
the camp area. A large fire was
started.
(b) In the early afternoon force
OF Avenger and Dauntless dive
bombers, escorted by fighters, at
tackled Rekata Bay, Santa Isabel
Island. A japanese four-engined
flying boat was destroyed. All
United States planes returned.
"(c) Fifty Japanese bombers, es-
corted by 48 Zero fighters, attacked
United States shipping in the vicin-
ity of Guadalcanal Island. United
States fighters engaged the enemy
and shot down 81 Zeros, dive
bombers and 10 other enemy planes
whose type was not reported. An
other enemy plane was later OBJ
served to crash.
Jap Plane Toll Raised to 943.
United States planes lost were
one Alracobra and six Wildcat
fighters. One United States pilot
was rescued
The destruction of the enemy
planes during the actions of We'd
nesday raised to 943 the total num-
Der OF Jap aircraft reported in Navy
communicates as having been de-
stroyed in the Solomons to date.
Those are actual combat losses,
and do not Include operational losses.
which would make the Japanese in
vestment of aircraft in the Solomons
| f1ghting much greater.
Not for many weeks had the Jap
anese struck at Guadalcanal or
shipping in the vicinity of that
Island with such force. The last
nghtlng of any consequence had
developed around February / when
the enemy was attempting to re-
move his officers from the force
then being crushed by advancing
American ground troops.
Part Based on Munda.
The final collapse of enemy re-
slstance or Guadalcanal, February
9 marked the beginning of light
actions by both sides, with Ameri-
can attacks being concentrated
chiefly on the enemy air base at
Munda on New Georgia Island in
the Central Solomons
Blows were struck less frequently
at such other places at Villa and
Kahili, Villa. which was attacked
three times Tuesday and Wednes-
day. is on the southern coast of
Kolombangara Island in the Central
Solomons. Kahili. which was at
tackled Tuesday, is in the North
western Solomons, while Santa
Isabel Island where two actions by
American forces occurred in the
two-day period, lies to the north
east Of Guadalcanal
The force of planes which the
japanese mustered for the attack
might have come either from the
Shorthand Island area, about 295
miles northwest of Guadalcanal air
field or from Munda, only 100 miles
to the northwest.
1t seemed unlikely, however, that
the entire attack could have started
from Munda since installations at
that field have been repeatedly
bombed so effectively that they
probably could not support a full
| operation of this kind. There are.
however. various subsidiary fields
in both the Munda and Shorthand
area from which groups of the as
saulting planes might have taken
of.