SOLOMONS CONFLICT

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 October 1942, Page 5

SOLOMONS CONFLICT

COL. KNOX QUESTIONED

U.S.A. FLEET'S READINESS

(Recd. 9.55 a.m.) , WASHINGTON. October 20. Col. Knox told the Press conference that the Solomons is still a gooo stiff hard fight. “In my judgment, the Japanese havfe by no means as yet exercised their maximum force. He said he had nothing to add to the most recent communique announcing the American warships’ sudden reappearance in the Solomons, and said communiques were being issued as rapidly as information was received. , Col. Knox indicated that land-bas-ed aeroplanes will play a , greater part in naval activity in ihe S °Asked S if he would comment upon the number of planes, he replied that such information could not be disclosed but he could say the number of land-based planes used by the Navy was steadily increasing. Col. Knox praised the Office ot War Information report on the performance of American planes. and said it was extremely well done. U.S.A. ACTIVITY. RUGBY, October 20. American bombers have blasted enemy troops and supply concentra. tions at Guadalcanal toi the th id successive day,, says a United States Naw communique. Ho lepoit nas been received of any offensive operations against the United States posilions at Guadalcanal since the Japanese landed on October la. numbers of enemy wars bl P s auxiliaries were stated to b~ in the Solomons area. UNITY OF PURPOSE (Recd. 11.40) NEW"YORK, Oct. 20 David Lawrence, wrlt T l^ g „ n in Gff opt “New York Sun” says: In an effort to make the Marines- position in the Solomons secure the Lmted State. Navy is up against one ol the tougnesi tasks in its history, but the difficulties involved have been foreseen from the very beginning. One th‘ng that is causing under public’s apparent inability to under stand the real nature ot the job, and the reasons for the manner in which news is handled from the Pacific area. Thus, criticism that . the Army forces in Australia under Gen. MacArthur are not being utilised to help the Marines is a misunderstanding of the nature ot the operations. The assumption that the Army forces in Australia, or anywhere else, are not permitted to do something they oughc to do, is to say that General Marshall has not the opportunity to express himself, or influence the strategy that is finally adopted. This, of course, is unfounded, because it is well known that there has been substantial agreement right along between the members of the High Command. Deception as to losses is practiced by all Navies in the world as an integral part of strategy. Policies differ with the situations arising. . . One thing can be stated positively: The High Command of the Army and the Navy is not holding back news because of any relationship to the problem or morale on the home front. The reasons are strategic, and the American people must trust the High Command, which knows what it is doing, and is interested only in victory, not politics or morale, which are problems away from fighting fronts. There is unity of command and purpose to-day, in the United States Chiefs of Staff.

COLUMNIST’S ALLEGATIONS

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19.

“Why military reinforcements were not sent to the Solomons long ago puzzles military strategists,” says Drew Pearson, the Washington newspaper columnist. Fie says that General MacArthur has sufficient troops in Australia who could be spared for the Solomons.

“Unfortunately there is no unity of command between the Army and the Navy in the South PaciflCi,” says Mr. Pearson. “General MacArthur runs his own show in Australia, and there is apparently reluctance on the part of the War Department or the White House to give General MacArthur orders. Recently the United States naval commander in New Zealand flew to Australia and had a profitable visit to General MacArthur. It is hoped that this friendly visit will have real results.”

In a radio broadcast, Mr. Pearson made the startling charge that early United States naval losses in the Solomons had some of the aspects of another Pearl Harbour. He declares that when the three American heavy cruisers Astoria, Quincy, and Vincennes, and the Australian cruiser Canberra were sunk on August 9, the American ships were not ready for action, in spite of a warning received from reconnaissance units that a powerful Japanese flotilla was steaming against them at a speed of 30 knots.

“The American commander, who had under-estimated the speed of the enemy approach, was ashore conferring with the commander of the marines when the attack was launched against the helpless American ships at 1500 yards range,” said Mr. Pearson. “These losses gave the Japanese naval superiority in this area.” Mr. Pearson emphasised the possibility that units' of the United States Navy, always desirous of luring the Japanese from their main bases, might be lying in wait with large forces. He said: “Much speculation exists as to what is happening at the mysterious enemy base at Truk, in the Carolines. Only 1300 miles north of Guadalcanal, Truk has been stated to hold a garrison of 250,000 troops.”

JAP. AERIAL NUMBERS

NEW YORK, October 20

“The Japanese attack against Guadalcanal must be considuecl against the background of the war in the whole Pacific theatre,” states Major Fielding Eliot in the New York “Her-ald-Tribune.” “Very great issues depend on the outcome of the fight for an airfield on one small island. Il' the Japanese are successful they will reap great advantages. First, they will regain considerable freedom of action in the immediate Solomons area, for we shall then be forced to retreat to our nearest air base in the New Hebrides. Second, the Japanese operations in New Guinea will be aided by ability to concentrate larger forces there. Third, they will be enabled to detach naval and air forces for an assault on our great transpacific line of communications, on which the security of Australia largely depends. “In estimating the effect of the Pacific operations, the factor of air power is perhaps the most important. The effective use the Japanese have made of their rather limited air force has given us an exaggerated idea of Japanese air power. Certainly some published statements of Japanese aeroplane production far exceed the facts. Japan’s aeroplanes are divided between her Army and Navy. Admiral T. C. Hart recently noted that all the Japanese aeroplanes encountered round the South China Sea were navy aeroplanes. The same thing is probably true in the Solomons. This suggests that the Japanese Navy has first call on Japanese aeroplane production. Thus the fighting in the Solomons affects the prospects of a Japanese attack against Siberia, since the Army obviously could not hope for a successful campaign against the Russians without sufficient aeroplanes. But if the Japanese regain

Guadalcanal they could release aeroplanes for the Army on the Siberian frontier. Therefore the influence of the fighting on Guadalcanal may be felt in Moscow, and perhaps on the borders of India. This is indeed a global war.” NEW GUINEA JAP. COUNTER-ATTACKS (X.Z.I'.A. Special Australian Correspontlcnt). SYDNEY,. October 20. The Japanese manifestly have no intention of abandoning their N“W Guinea campaign. They are holding grimly to their positions in the heights of the Owen Stanley Range at the Eora Creek village, about eight hours’ ti'aili distance from Kokoda. On Monday they launched three counterattacks, but were driven back with heavy losses. Allied units, still forcing their way forward, have to drive the. enemy from a continuing series of foxholes and machine-gun nests. It appears that the Japanese are fighting a determined holding action, and no doubt their subsequent moves will be largely dictated by the outcome of the battle for the Solomons. In the event of an Allied victory there,, it seems likely that Japan's New Guinea campaign will wither away. A Japanese victory in the Solomons would probably be the prelude to renewed offensive efforts against Port Moresby. Along the northern Papuan coast it would appear that the enemy still has strong garrisons at his Lae and Salamaua bases. Some extension of his occupation of this coastline is evident' from reports of recent Allied air attacks on Japanese positions at the mouth of the Mambare River, between Buna and Salamaua.

The latest communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters reports no offensive air activity during the last 24 hours. It is believed, however, that there was at least one Allied bombing attack against Japanese concentrations on Monday night, but reports have not yet been received. There is little doubt that the raid was connected with the operations in the Solomons, which are now moving towards a climax.