Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-05


from Kiska. During the same week
American forces occupied the Russell
Islands, northwest of Guadalcanal.
The following week Attu was occu-
pied by American Army troops and tho
airbase which the Japs had laboriously
carved out Of rock became available to
the American flyers.
Turning to air attack rather than
naval, the japanese along about the
middle of June sent 100 planes to
bomb Guadalcanal. OF these, "a were
shot down, while American losses were
limited to six.
Striking suddenly around the first Of
July, American forces made a landing
on Nassau Bay on New Georgia and
started moving toward Munda, where
an sirtield OF vital importance to the
Japs was located.
The Japs, quick to accept the chal-
lenge, sent a task force down which
was trapped in the slot between New
Georgia and Kolombangara by an
American task force and in the battle
which followed the enemy lost his en-
tire task force. which was composed Of
9 or II cruisers and destroyers Ameri-
can losses were limited to the cruiser
Helena
At about the same time another
American task force stood off Kiska
and let the Japs have 1t for while
From nearby Attu, apparently, a
bombing flight took off a few days
later to raid Paramushiro, the naval
and air base on the tip of the Japa-
nese-owned Kurilian Islands.
Japs Lose Four Ships.
All week Kiska was attacked by air
and by surface ships and a second raid
was launched against Paramushiro.
Down at New Georgia the Japs lost
another task force consisting OF a
cruiser and three destroyers, but in the
battle the destroyer Gwyn was so badly
damaged it was necessary to sink her.
Early in August Wake Island was
bombed twice, and the tempo Of attack
on Kiska picked up smartly with II
raids on single day.
was revealed that during Japanese ef-
forts to take off the survivors and fur
Their south to land reinforcements on
New Guinea more than 200 barges were
sunk
With New Georgia safely in Allied
hands. the Japs prepared to face an in
vasion of Kolombangara, but the Allied
high command outguessed them, and
Vella Lavella, north of Kolombangara,
was seized from $50 unarmed Japs. Tho
enemy, who would never seem to learn,
sent 20 or 80 heavily loaded barges under
ture OF the island. Most of the barges
were sunk, and the four destroyers
turned tail and ran under Allied air at
tack. However, three of the enemy de-
stroyers were badly damaged and one
may have sunk.
Over on New Guinea another $50 Jap
planes caught on the airfield at Wewak
were destroyed on the ground in a sur
prise raid. During August enemy plane
losses mounted to 584.
On September 10 sudden landing by
mass Of paratroopers in front of the
jungle behind Lac and New Guinea cut
of the escape of some 10000 Japs at
those two bases who found themselves
hemmed in with no chance to escape.
At about the same time up in the Cen
trail Pacific a naval task force sped all
the way to Marcus Island, less than
1000 miles from Toxic and so blasted
It's defenses that 1t was believed they
were rendered completely useless On
September Is Lac fell to the Allied
forces.
Jap Losses Mount.
A series Of air raids on September 10
escaped attention because they seemed
to be just part of the general scheme
of blasting the Japs. The attacks were
made on Tarawa, Maxim and Able
mamma and were destructive. 1t was
disclosed that Nanumea, northernmost
of the Ellice Islands, had been occupied
on September and shortly thereafter
Kolombangara
On October a naval task force wiped
out all enemy defenses in raid on
Wake Island. At about the same time
down on New Guinea Australians, mov-
ing up Markham VALLEY. had approached