U.S. FORCES GAIN MASTERY AFTER HARD STRUGGLE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 34, 10 February 1943, Page 2

U.S. FORCES GAIN MASTERY AFTER HARD STRUGGLE

To the million, Guadalcanar may be nothing more than a somewhat difficult name for an island vaguely known to be the pivotal point of much fierce fighting in the Solomons, and to this day, when it has been making headlines in the news since last August, there are many folk who would have to search for it on a big map of the Pacific.

In the light of to-day's news that Japanese resistance has ceased, coupled with the statement from Berlin that Japanese troops have been evacuated, what should be realised is that Guadalcanar is vital to the control of the Solomons. Possession of this, the largest island in the Solomons group, may well give air mastery over the entire area.

Air mastery will spell a speedier victory. That is the lesson of all the fighting so far in the South-west Pacific, of which Guadalcanar has been the cockpit.

In American hands, with the last Jap. dead or driven off, Guadalcanalprobably will be transformed into the equivalent of a South-west Pacific Gibraltar, with airfields and fortifications which will defy any attack.

In the sense that it dominates the extremely narrow passage known as Sealark Channel, bounded on each side by shallows, shoals, rocks and reefs, and also Indispensable Strait, these being the sealanes between Forida, Malaita and Santa Ysabel Islands, Guadalcanar is paramount to the success of naval supremacy in the whole area. Securely held by United States forces, Guadalcanar will be a mighty bastion in the aggressively defensive action now being waged against Japan. To understand the importance of this big tropical island one should study carefully a map of the area. Its military and naval value will at once become apparent. Japan's Desperate Bid Japan made a desperate bid to hold Guadalcanar at all costs. Just what the island has actually cost the Japanese in men, ships, aircraft and supplies will not be known till their archives are burst open after victory. It will be an enormous tally. Eight great sea battles have been fought in the immediate vicinity, most important of which was that of November 13-15, in which RearAdmiral Daniel J. Callaghan and Rear-Admiral Norman Scott sacrificed their lives, diving with the battle-winning Nelson touch into an immensely stronger ring of Japanese armour, fighting through a circle of death-belching steel and emerging victorious. At the end of 30 minutes—one of the fiercest half-hours in all naval history—the Japanese force had ceased to exist. Both American admirals were dead. They were killed in.the first few minutes of the action, but Admiral Callaghan's plan of action was followed gallantly and faithfully by subordinate officers, and the day—or rather, night—was saved. And with it Guadalcanar was saved. True, there was a lot of bitter fighting yet to %e done, but the tide had turned decisively in the Ameri-

cans' favour. The first Battle of the Solomons had been fought on August 7-8, when the United States Marine Corps effected a landing and hung on against odds. The great battle of November rewarded the marines for all that they had fought for and endured.

Thus the Fifth Battle of the Solomons was in essence a dispute over reinforcements of men and supplies. Reconnaissance had revealed that the Japanese were building up an extensive force to retake the Solomons, and especially Guadalcanar. The Americans scored first, landing the initial and crucial first wave of reinforcements on November 11— significant date! The initiative was held that day, and also on November 12, when the second wave achieved the beach.

General Vandergrift then declared, "I now feel it is no longer possible for the Japs, to land enough strength at any one time to take Guadalcanar away from us."

Now the Japs, had a big target at which to shoot. Four times they came in to shoot, but never effectively, and each time, under the screen of his nerve-testing bombardment, the enemy was forming with the utmost haste convoys behind his first line of fire. Those convoys were estimated by United States intelligence officers to contain three divisions with full equipment. In the light of this, the smashing victory achieved by Admiral Callaghan's force, when it threw itself against superior odds and won so brilliantly, must rank as one of the world's most notable naval successes. Eight Great Battles Henceforth the eight great sea battles of the Solomons will be referred to by the United States Navy as:— First ; Battle of the Solomons, August 7-8. First Savo Action, August 8-9. Battle of Ontong, Java, August 24-25. • First Buin Raid, October 5. Battle of the Russell Islands, October 11-12. Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, October 25-26. Second Battle of the Solomons, November 13-15. Second Savo Battle, November 30. Prior to the decision to so name the battles. Admiral Callaghan's brilliantly conceived action was known as the fifth battle, and it has been so called above. In a nutshell, these actions may be described thus:— First Battle of the Solomons: This covers the actual landing by U.S. Marines in the Solomons, the establishment of a beachhead on Guadalcanar, and the capture of Tulagi, Makambo, Gavutu, Tanambogo and Florida Islands. The Japanese lost a yacht, 37 bombers, 18 seaplanes and 15 fighters and 1200 Japanese were killed. U.S. losses were a. destroyer (the Jarvis), a transport (the G. F. Elliott). A second destroyer was damaged. Highlight of the day's fighting was an attack by 40 Japanese torpedo planes on the Elliott. Every one of these planes was shot down either by fighters or ack-ack.

First Savo Action: In this night engagement the Australian cruiser Canberra and the U.S. cruisers Quincy, Vincennes and Astoria were sunk. Battle of Ontong Java: This battle which takes its name from the island of Ontong, Java (also known as Lord Howe Island), might equally well be called the "Battle of the Carriers." It was fought at a range of 250 miles between opposing carrier forces and was a clean-cut victory for the Americans. U.S. airmen destroyed 92 Japanese planes, for the loss of only three American, hit some cruisers and battleships, and damaged and probably sunk the small Japanese carrier Ryujo. First Buiii Raid: This action was a raid on the Japanese base of Buin, on Bougainville Island. It was carried out entirely by carrier-based planes. The Americans bombed and hit a force of Japanese cruisers, transports and destroyers and also hit the runway on Kieta. They destroyed six Japanese aircraft during the raid. Battle of the Russell Islands: Here Admiral Scott's task force of cruisers and destroyers attacked a similar force of Japanese. Scott sank a heavy cruiser and destroyer, severely damaged and probably sank two heavy and one light cruiser, and sank four destroyers. He lost the U.S. destroyer Duncan. Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands: In this clash a carrier task force attacked a Japanese carrier task force and severely damaged two Japanese carriers—one of them a Shokaku class carrier. The American force also damaged by bombs or torpedoes a Japanese battleship, a heavy cruiser and a light cruiser. No less than 115 Japanese aircraft were destroyed for certain, and 46 more were probably destroyed. The American force lost a carrier (not yet named) ana the destroyer Porter. Second Battle of the Solomons: This battle has been so named because whereas in the opening engagements on August 7-8, the Americans were all out to capture the Solomons, in this action (November 13-15) the Japanese were all out to win them back. The three-day battle was a sweeping victory for the U.S. Navy. The Japanese lost two battleships, six heavy and two light cruisers, six destroyers, eight transports and four cargo ships. A third battleship, another light cruiser and seven more destroyers were damaged. The American Fleet lost two light cruisers and six destroyers. Second Savo Battle: Official details of this are still wanting, but two Japanese light cruisers or heavy destroyers are said to have been sunk, four destroyers, two transports and one cargo vessel. A heavy American cruiser sunk, and several other American ships damaged, is the revealed toll on the United Nations side.