STILL BETTER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20863, 15 August 1942, Page 5

STILL BETTER

ALLIED POSITION pacificTbattle LANDING REINFORCED BREAKING ENEMY HOLD (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (3 p.m.) SYDNEY, Aug, 14. The latest reports indicate that the position in the Solomons has further improved in the past 24 hours. The Japanese hold on the southern Solomons is being broken. The original landing force has been strongly reinforced and the Japanese on Tulagi, Florida, Guadalcanar, and Malaita have been driven from many of theif defensive positions. It is believed that the Japanese have decided to run the risk of bringing a strong fleet into action against the American and Australian warships. The Allies continue to hold sea and air superiority. A United States Navy Department communique states: “Operations are Continuing in the Solomon Islands. There is nothing .to report from other areas.” The fact that no other information concerning the struggle is forthcoming is regarded as an indication that the battle, now in its seventh day, is of considerable proportions, says an agency message from Washington. Initial Step Succeeding It is accepted in Federal circles here that there are good grounds for believing that the initial step in the Allies’ long-range plans for an offensive against Japanese-occupied territory's succeeding. '-The land fighting is reported, to be particularly bitter on Guadalcanar. tvhere<the enemy has several airfields under construction. The 'island also has excellent anchorages along the coastline. With Tulagi, Guadalcanar is regarded as the chief prize in the Solomons. The Japanese forces are reported to be strongly entrenched in prepared positions on the high ground'on the centre of Tulagi and fighting stubbornly. Prominence is given here to an article by the Washington columnist, Mr. Drew Pearson, who says that the Allied offensive in the Solomons is a race against time to prevent the Japanese fortifying the captured South Pacific islands. “The Japanese have been fortifying the Solomons at bi-eak-neck speed,” Mr. Pearson says. “They have been building aeroplane runways, fuel depots, and anti-aircraft emplacements. The navy had to move before the Japanese got too deeply entrenched. Some strategists figure thjit if the Japanese are given a year tp fortify the South Pacific islands it wil.l take from three to four years to dislpdgh them.” Preliminary Operation American military strategists believe that if the Solomons offensive takes its expected course it will lead to gigantic Allied landing operations in ; the next six months. Mr. Hanson Baldwin, the New York Times’ military commentator, says:— “United States Marines and other United States and Australian forces are undertaking the first small step fn what Will probably be the most difficult operation ih the history of amphibious Warfare. This is a step-by-step ' island-by-island advance across the Pacific. It is a back-break-ing task and cahnot be accomplished quickly against the Japanese.” Mr. Gilbert Cant, the New York Post foreign news editor, says: “The Solomons landing suggests, not only that the Japanese navy is spread dangerously thin, but that the Allies are ih a position to take full advantage of the enemy’s difficulties.” Several commentators emphasise the importance of land-based aircraft in Pacific warfare, and declare that Allied advances in the area where the Japanese possess this great advantage must prove very costly.