U.S. OPERATIONS IN SOLOMONS

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23740, 11 September 1942, Page 5

U.S. OPERATIONS IN SOLOMONS

Air Attack In New Georgia Area OFFENSIVE MOVE SUGGESTED (N.Z. Press Association-Copyright.) (Rec. 11 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Sept. 9. “The United States Marines on Guadalcanal 1 Island in the Solomons continue to attack the detachments of Japanese who fled into the jungle on August 7. and who have possibly been rein forced by a few troops since land-

Ed under cover of darkness. - ' says a United States Navy communique. The communique adds: “A patrol aeroplane on September 5 shot down a large Japanese flying-boat in the north-east Solomons. “Our aircraft on September 6 bomb-, ed and strafed enemy installations on Gizo Island, in the New Georgia area of the Solomons, encountering no resistance ** The Associated Press of America says: “Naval circles ore of the opinion that the American attack on Gizo Island marks the start of offensive actions against the Japanese. They explain that the American forces on Guadalcanar have hitherto been preoccupied with defensive operations, and presumably with developing a bomber base on the Guadalcanar airfield. “The attack on Gizo Island indicates that the offensive resources of the new Guadalcanar base have been brought into play. Therefore the Japanese must from how on expect violent air blows against their remaining strongholds in the Solomons.” Gizo is a heavily-wooded island from four to six square miles in area, near Buka, the main Japanese base in the Solomons.

BATTLE TACTICS OF JAPANESE

MACARTHUR SPEAKS TO TROOPS (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) SYDNEY, Sept. 10. The Japanese soldier was no easy enemy, General • , Mac Arthur told a United States Army, unit on service somewhere in Australia. He was a fighter who did not ask for quarter nor did he give any. He fought courageously and intelligently. Good troops, however, could stop the Japanese. His Philippine army had proved that. By pushing on instead of falling back, his forces had confused and upset the Japanese. - General Mac Arthur exhorted the unit never to let the Japanese attack. When the Japanese attacked, they did so to a preconceived plan, and the co-ordination and co-operation between their forces was excellent. When attacked, however, the enemy did not show to the same advantage'. The Japanese soldier had an extraordinary capacity to fight to the end. He never stopped. The Japanese had no use for quitters, Japanese tactics, said General MacArthur, were to disperse rapidly along the enemy’s lines in groups of never more-than 1000, and to keep pushing until the enemy’s weakness was found, and then hit hard. The Japanese were the greatest exploiters of their opponents’ -Inefficiency the world had ever seen. Any weakness in confronting them was fatal. Expressing confidence in the fighting ability of the troops he was addressing, General Mac Arthur said that all he «sked of them when they went into action was for each man to kill one Japanese. If they did that, they would win, but if, when hard pressed, they began to look for a position in the rear or began to think that it was beyond human endurance to continue the fight, they would be destroyed physically as well as losing their reputation in the eyes,of their friends and country. They would find that frequently they would have to fight with the local odds against them, but if they fought as sturdily as the Japanese, eventually the enemy would be defeated. Always the man won who fought to the end, whose nerves did not go back on Him, and who never thought of anything but the will to victory.

TASK OF AUSTRALIAN FORCES

CURTIN EMPHASISES ARMY NEEDS (Rec. 7 p.m.) CANBERRA, Sept.'lo, “It is essential for the preservation of freedom that Australia’s civil .needs must be subordinated ter the needs of the fighting forces, which have before them a stupendous task,” said the Prime Minister of Australia (Mr - J. Curtin) in the House of Representatives. “The strength of the Army is less than I and the command would like it to be. “In the absence of air and sea supremacy I am not prepared to detract from the strength of the Army by allowing men to be withdrawn from it to engage in other occupations. The work of those now in the Army must be done by those previously in nonessential occupations. “For the next six months the problem of the United Nations is so stupendous that it is not conceivable that we in Australia should expect to be given anything that we can provide for ourselves,” Mr Curtin said. He knew no easy road ahead until the enemy had been dealt a serious blow—until the initiative had been wrested from him. So much shipping would be required for the forces equal to launching an offensive in the south-west Pacific that its allocation could not reasonably be expected in the near future. “Highly trained troops had to be held as reinforcements for the 9th Division of the A.I.F. in the Middle East. That was one reason why Australia’s Army had to be maintained at maximum strength. The obligation to hold Australia had to be met primarily by the Commonwealth’s manpower and resources. The urgent need of supplying Russia and the Middle East would prevent any great increase in the aid that could come to Australia.”

N.Z. AIR OBSERVERS FINISH TRAINING

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 9. The following New Zealanders recently graduated from the Air Observer, School in Ontario, under the Commonwealth air training plan:— Pilot Officers H. J. Plank (Wellington), L. D. Glenday (Christchurch), F. R. Dawes (Auckland), W. D. Barney. W. J. G. Knox (Timaru), D. N. Cook (Nelson), T. Lodge (Rotorua), M. C. Eckhold (Oamaru); Sergeants L. E. Gamman (Tauranga), A. A. Jarvie, G. E. C. Readej L. W. Crowe (Auckland), L. M. Ward (New Plymouth), J. G. Wilson, A. T. L. Jones (Wellington), J. D. McCorkindale. A. K. Baxter (Balclutha), L. V. F. Etwell, W. S. C. Mogg (Christchurch), G. B. Page (North Canterbury), J. S. Curtis (Stratford), F. A. Paulson (Gisborne), N. J. Trewavas (Nelson); A. A. Crawshaw (Dunedin), and W. Clark (Timaru).