TOKYO ANXIOUS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 235, 5 October 1942, Page 3

TOKYO ANXIOUS

BIG SHIPPING LOSSES

Allies Menacing Vital Enemy Sea Lanes

SYDNEY, this dav

The news of U.S. submarine successes is being read with mounting apprehension in Tokyo, states Major tmot., the Chicago Herald Tribune r^° ndcnt -, for the submarines ai c piessing closer to the vital lines ?i," J r iUn ' Catlon br anching southwaiti from Japan. tt.2 Vhen Vi! 0 American marines took the south-eastern Solpmons the •Japanese sea lords saw the handwritor! the w ? n > adds Major Eliot. T knew what this action meant. ,' ~ y knew that the Solomons are inH a M P ?, mg stone to New Guinea fIS. I Britain, from which they | would be forced back to Truk in the L-aiolmes furthermore, they realised that the Marshall Islands would be untenable. In those circumstances JfPan would be forced to draw in her Pacific outposts and Japanese stiategy would have to be directed towards keeping us away from their (215 a , s an d vital sea lanes. Iney do not want aircraft over iokyo, continues Major Eliot. They i not .want submarines prowling along their shipping routes. The closer our island outposts can be pushed toward Japan's sea lanes the more hours on station our submarines can enjoy. The Japanese will fight hard to prevent those outposts drawing nearer. It is the irony of tate that, in so doing they are suffering further losses of the very ships especially destroyers, they will desperately need if our advance is successful. Moving Bases Forward Since the failure of the recent Japanese land attack aimed at recaptui ing Guadalcanar the Allied forces in the South Pacific have been watching closely for the next Japanese move. It is not known whether the Japanese will continue the unsuccessful policy of building up a striking force on Guadalcanar by nightly landings from small boats and destroyers, or whether they will venture a swift major stroke with a big naval task force supporting transports. The latter move means risking disaster from American bombers and fighters based on Guadalcanar and other South Pacific bases.

Meanwhile the Japanese may be working their own air and naval bases nearer Guadalcanar to Gizo, 300 miles away, and Rekata Bay, 200 miles distant. American planes have bombed seaplanes, supply dumps and small buildings at both places, which may become important Japanese bases and play significant roles in the forthcoming struggle for the Solomons.

Grumman fighters operating from the Henderson Field on Guadalcanar seem to be the most effective answer American aviation has yet given Japanese air power, particularly Zeros, adds the correspondent. The G rum mans, flown by expert Marine and Navy pilots, have held their own with Zeros and have destroyed a great many bombers. American pursuit planes so far have shot down 119 enemy planes. The Marines have developed the aerial transport of wounded to base hospitals as a regular practice in periods of heavy fighting. Big Douglas transports equipped for stretcher carrying arrived at the Henderson Field daily and removed the seriously wounded to hospitals within 12 hours after being hit. The lightly wounded are treated at a Marine hospital on Guadalcanal'.

FIGHTING DUTCH

Rec. 9.30 a.m. RUGBY, Oct. 4. The Dutch Prime Minister, M. Gerbrandy, addressing a meeting of Dutchmen in London to celebrate the relief of Leyden on October 3, 1574, referred to the terrible way Dutchmen were being treated in Holland. He said they would never capitulate because another October 3 would come for them as it did for Leyden. Troops were being gathered, he said, vessels built and arms forged. The time would come when the Allies would advance and the Nazi hordes would take to their heels.

The disappearance of three German officers and 32 German soldiers from The Hague is reported by the Soviet Information Bureau. Dutch patriots elsewhere ambushed a German staff car and killed four officers and escaped with arms from the car.

A number of bodies of German soldiers were recovered from the canal at Amsterdam at the end of September.