NEW NAVAL BATTLE

Grey River Argus, 25 November 1942, Page 5

NEW NAVAL BATTLE

Begun off the Solomons (Rec. 10.20.) LONDON, Nov. 24 Tokio official radio has reported’ “There is now a battle in progress between the American and the Japanese Navies off the Solomon Islands ” AUSTRALIA’S APPRECIATION. 8.0.W. RUGBY, November 23. Mr Curtin has cabled Mr Roosevelt conveying Australia’s appreciation of the “magnificent services rendered to us by your gallant forces in the battles of the Solomons. The association of our fighting men has been complete, and I value it not only for what it achieved, but as symbolical of the unitv and determination of our two countries ” JAP. SHIP SUNK. LONDON, November 23 The Associated Press correspondent at Chungking says: An American Skv Dragon sank a Japanese ship of. over 12,000 tons, which observers thought was a transport, but was possibly a carrier.

On Sunday, a raid on wharves and warehouse area of Haipong started great fires on the waterfront.

Jap “Suicide” Air Squadrons U.S. NAVAL MEN’S OPINION ONLY "PROPAGANDA BUNK” (Roc. 8.35) NEW YORK. Nov. 23. A correspondent of the United Press of America, Mr Charles Arnot, with the South Pacific Fleet, states: Naval men declare that the stories concerning the Japanese suicide sauadrons are plain bunk and that the truth is that when a Japanese plane crashes on a surface ship, the pilot is unable to avoid it. The Japanese want us to believe that they train squadrons who are pledged to die in crashing upon American ships; but this suicide stuff comes straight from the propaganda machines,” said a seasoned combat officer. who stated that in two major engagements he never saw a pilot intentionally crash. Hie added: “I saw three Japanese planes actually crash on ships. Two were ablaze when they struck. The third one obviously carried a dead pilot. The majority of the. socalled suicide crashes involve divebombers, which have little or no armour, and catch fire quickly. They must dive through heavy flak. Often the pilots ar e killed before they are able to pull out of their dives or to release their bombs.”

i Rec. 1.3) NEW YORK. Nov. 24. The names arid addresses of jurois were kept secret to save them from passible annoyance of Nazi persons and groups when the treason trial began of Helmut Leiner, who was charged with assisting Nazi saboteurs after their landing in submarines in June. A witness was the- attractive Miss Hedwig Englemann, who already pleaded guilty to a charge oi misprision. She said that she SiUL loved Edward Kerling, 'one of the six executed. She fold how Leiner introduced her to Kerling after the submarine landing.