COMPARATIVE LOSSES IN SHIPS AND PLANES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 256, 29 October 1942, Page 5

COMPARATIVE LOSSES IN SHIPS AND PLANES

AMERICAN ASD JAPS. Replacement Difficulties Face Tokyo Rec. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY, Oct. 28. The American naval spokesman in London, pointing out the Japanese difficulty in replacing air losses, said that in the first four weeks of the operations in the Solomons and New Guinea areas the Japanese fbst about 175 planes, and when they lost a plane there they lost a pilot, too. Since, and including. Pearl Harbour, the Japanese have lost more than twice as many warships sunk and damaged as the United States. The figures are, 129 Japanese and 53 American, and with ships probably damaged by near-misses the Japanese figure reaches 150. "Details as compiled from navy communiques are:— United States Sunk Damaged Battleships 1 1 Aircraft-Carriers 3 1 Cruisers •> 4 Destroyers 12 K Submarines 2 1 Others 6 2 Japanese Sunk Damaged Battleships ... — 5 (probable) j Aircraft-Carriers 6 8 + 3 prob. Destroyers ... 2t> 13 + 8 prob. Submarines 6 5 Others 13 7 + 3 prob. The Japanese have lost 25 cruisers, sunk, damaged, or probably sunk. In addition, the United States Navy has sunk nine ships, destroyers, auxiliaries, motor torpedoboats, and a gunboat, to keep them from enemy hands. The Japanese, in addition, hav« lost 133 transports, fleet tankers and fleet cargo ships sunk or damaged. The Japanese claims of heavy sinkings of United States warships in the Solomons are described by Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. S>F. M. Forde, as fantastic. "These claims should be disregarded completely," he said. For obvious reasons the Japanese would use every subterfuge to mislead people in an attempt to provoke replies which would assist them to estimate the true strength of the naval forces opposed to them.

"JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT" NEW YORK, Oct. 28. "The navy has hit the enemy some savage blows. We have just begun to fight," said the Secretary of the United States Navy, Colonel Frank Knox, in a broadcast. "We are producing merchantmen faster than the enemy can sink them. He is not sinking so fast any more, either. "We are producing aircraft, bombs and trained crews in such quantity that Germany no longer has unchallenged mastery of the air. Ships, aircraft and trained men are coming faster and faster now, but still not fast enough. W T e have a long way to go to do properly the vast worldwide job of patrolling, escorting and fighting on all the seas. Bit by bit American men and material are piling up in front of the enemy, but there has never been enough anywhere. "Submarines have taken an awful 1 toll of ships and men. The enemy has pushed us back to the waters of Australia, and the banks of the Volga, but the picture is changing now. The United States has paid an awful price for its negligence after the last war. We must not make the same mistake twice, and must insist on the maintenance of American nava! power at least during the transition period at the end of the present war."