BATTLESHIP AND CRUISERS SUNK

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23798, 18 November 1942, Page 3

BATTLESHIP AND CRUISERS SUNK

ALLIED GAINS IN SOLOMONS

♦— Heavy Japanese Naval Losses

‘N.Z. Press Association—Copyright,). (Rcc. 5 p.m.) WASHINGTON, November 10. The United Sidles Navy has sunk a Japanese battleship, three heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, five destroyers, and eight (ranspoi ts in the greatest naval battle of (he war, fought in the Solomons for three days and nights. Another Japanese battleship and six destroyers were damaged. Four enemy cargo transports, found beached on, (Juadalcanar Island, were destroyed. The only United States warships reported sunk are two light cruisers and six destroyers. The battle lasted from Friday to Sunday. It consisted of a series of sea and air actions in which the United States forces beat off a strong enemy invasion fleet moving against the American positions in the Guadalcanar-Tulagi area. Following the first announcement of (he victory, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet (Admiral Chester W. Nimitz) issued a communique at Pearl Harbour. It said: “The strong Japanese fleet fias been completely frustrated by the action of Vice-Admiral Halsey’s fleet. The enemy's transport units in the Solomons area have been annihilated. On land United States Army and Marine Corps units have the situation well in hand. All the Japanese naval forces in the area have been destroyed or driven back.” Admiral Nimitz (old the press that one result of the Solomons battle would be the eventual expulsion of the enemy from Guadalcanar. “The result is what we expected from such men as Vice-Admiral Halsey and his command. The Jap has been enjoying observation of everything we had. Now we are going to clean him out. I think he will be very uncomfortable soon,” said Admiral Nimitz. The Navy’s faith in battleships had been justified in a battle in which they had been used by both sides. “Our battleships,” he said, “contributed considerably to the losses inflicted on the enemy.”

A preliminary account of tyie operations is given in a United States Navy Department communique, which says: “Air reconnaissance in the early days of November revealed a heavy concentration of Japanese transports, cargo carriers, and combatant units of the enemy fleet in the New Britain legion of the north-west Solomons area, An enemy attempt to recapture our positions in the GuadalcanarTulagi area was indicated, and on November 10 it became evident that an expedition was being launched in force. “The Japanese naval forces approached the south-eastern Solomons from the north, as other detachments, including many transports, moved south-east towards Guadalcanar from Rabaul and Buin. where the expeditionary'forces had been assembling. "General MacArthur’s aircraft were o/-great assistance to our naval forces, both before and during the naval actions. Army bombers made repeated attacks on units of yie Invasion fleet at Rabaul and ♦Auiri. “The spearhcac. of the Japanese attack comprised two battleships of the Kongo class and a number of other vessels, which arc believed to have been two heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, and about ID destroyers. This unit reached the Guadalcanar area shortly after midnight on November 13, intending to bombard our shore positions prior to a large-scale landing from a large group of transports which had beep observed in the Buin-Short-land Island area. Battle at Close Range "This Japanese bombardment force was formed into three groups. As they approached the bombardment area they-were engaged by units of our fleet, and the ensuing battle was fought at close range. During this engagement Rear-Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan was killed. "During this fierce night engagement the Japanese seemed confused, and during the latter part of the battle two of three Japanese groups were firing at each other. Shortly afterwards the enemy fire ceased and the Japanese withdrew from the battle and retired to the north. “During the day of November 13 United States aircraft made continuous attacks on damaged Japanese ships which remained in the area. "During the afternoon a large formation of at least 12 enemy transports Under heavy naval escort headed towards Guadalcanar from the. Bougainville area. As a preliminary to a proposed landing the enemy surface force bombarded our positions at Guadalcanar shortly after midnight on the morning of November 14. Transports Sunk “Later in the morning on November 14, when the transport group was near Guadalcanar, it was struck heavily by our air forces, and at least eight transportsl were sunk. The remainder continued towards Guadalcanar. “During the night of November 14 United States naval forces engaged Japanese surface units in the Guadalcanar area. Details of this engagement have not yet been received. “On the morning of November 15 four enemy cargo transports were found beached at Tassafaronga, about seven and a half miles west of our positions at Guadalcanar. i These transports were attacked by air and oy artillery and naval gunfire, and were destroyed. "The same morning our patrol aircraft reported Japanese forces withdrawing to the north. “No reports of any further action nave been received." It is believed in Washington that clever manoeuvring gave the United States fleet an advantage in the naval battle for the Solomons. “Major Japanese Effort” The military correspondent of the ’New York Times," Mr Hanson Baldwin, had issued a’warning before the news of the battle, .that Japan had assembled "probably the largest fleet of warships and transports yet seen in the South Seas,” in a major effort to expel American forces from me Solorpons. Discussing Japanese advantaf 1 ‘Viji the campaign. Mr Baldwin sajju <nat. they probably had naval superiority and their bases were much closer to Guadalcanar man the American bases. The Japanese, too, had apparently built a new airfield on an island relatively close to Guadalcanar. Other sources had suggested th.vc America’s newest battleships of the boutli Dakota class, with 16in guns, termed part of the American fleet in the Solomons. The special Australian correspondent cf the New Zealand Press Association says that Australian commentators have all pointed to Japan’s evidetermination to continue the oolomons campaign to the bitter end. According to Allied communities, t * lo * our ear l ic? attempts against me American positions cost the enemy mree cruisers sunk and 25 damaged, nine destroyers sunk, two more probably sunk, and 11 damaged; and four battleships and four aircraft-carriers Damaged.

“ OUTLOOK THOROUGHLY TRANSFORMED ” CRITICAL PERIOD LAST ' MONTH A Press Association correspondent at a South Pacific port says that amazing although it is, the most recent success of the Allied forces in the Solomons has not been unexpected. Although even now it would be wrong to disregard the continuance of danger from Japanese counter-strokes, it has recently* been possible to trace a thorough transformation in the outlook for the area from that of the critical September-October days, when only a superhuman endeavour redeemed the position, which was threatening to become hopeless. There have recently been suggestions that the Allied forces protecting the Solomons footholds have been more than ever capable of resisting very powerful attacks. The most cheerful augury of this has been the belief that the North African needs have not stopoed ship and other reinforcements to the south Pacific combat areas, and that the Japanese have not been confronted by only the force' left to the Americans after the last round of'the battle died away. Thus, the American losses in the most recent scries of engagements can bo given® different perspective than would have been the case if the Mediterranean needs had swallowed up all the available ships, aircraft, and men. As for the Japanese losses, the enemy has in the last few months apparently suffered a scries of hammer blows which at least must force a pause in his immediate ambitions, and which may even set back his general Pacific plans for some months. It is not likely that the fighting m the south-eastern Solomons will completely die away, because of what would have been a real disaster to liny navy, but it can reasonably be hoped that the last astonishing achievement of the Americans will give them the initiative in the area and throw the Japanese back to a return to thenformer nibbling attrition tactics. The magnitude of the achievement can be given its proper status when it is realised that it was accurate to say no longer than a fortnight ago, that the south Pacific countries whose security from attack depends so largely upon success in the Solomons, had no reason to be under -any illusions about the nearness with which disaster threatened the Allied cause in September and October. Since then there have been various indications of a rapid improvement. The correspondent recalls an earlier statement by him that success for the Allied naval forces in the last series of actions would enable the base organisation to be advanced more than 1000 miles. It is now hoped that such may be the case. A measure of the gams made and the change resulting when Guadalcanar was relieved a few weeks ago may be obtained from the fact that while the old line may retain its integral importance for supply command, the base organisation will no doubt be moved well forward of it. If such is the case, New Zealand apparently would no longer be tl.e United States naval command headquarters of the south Pacific area. This would, m itself, be a good lead to a new outlook on the Solomons. JAPANESE CLAIMS (Rec. 12.30 a.in.) NEW Y.ORK, Nov. 17. The Tokyo radio, quoting Japanese Imperial Headquarters, has been making its usual extravagant claims of victory. It stated that more than half the Allied Fleet in the Solomons had been destroyed or crippled in a battle last Thursday, adding: “The fate of. the United States landing force on Guadalcansr is now in the hands of the Japanese forces. This latest defeat of the United States forces means that the American Navy’s counter-attacks in the Solomons have been shattered.” Mr Elmer Davis, Director of the United States Office of War Information, said in that the Japanese High Command’s new claims of having sunk eight United States warships, including three aircraft-car-riers, in an earlier battle on October 26, were false. "We lost one carrier and one destroy-r, as already reported,” Mr Davis said. "I have every reason to believe that the Navy is telling the truth.”