ENEMY ADVANTAGE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20860, 12 August 1942, Page 3

ENEMY ADVANTAGE

FIGHTING FROM LAND air base strength (British Official Wireless.) (10.30 a.m.) RUGBY. Aug. 11 “Japanese soldiers have shown themselves to be masters of fighting in the tropics. No one can imagine the expulsion of these stolid fighters from the very many positions they have seized by either a quick or easy victory.’’ the Manchester Guardian states, in discussing the battle of the Solomons. “The battle is to the enemy’s advantage,” the newspaper states, “because he is fighting from the land while the Allies had to begin from transports. The Japanese are reported to have built air bases on Guadalcanal and these will be stocked with defensive bombers. Japan’s aim would be to send reinforcements to these bases and the Allies were attempting to destroy them before they could .take off from New Guinea and New Britain.

“How successful we have been with our carrier-based planes against landbased Japanese we do not yet know,” the newspaper continues, “but it is remarkable that in the long list of successes claimed by Japan no mention is made of any Allied aircraftcarrier being hit. although these ships in the background would have been first targets.’ 1