Show Forces Abandon Guadalcanal pap t Yanks Victorious Victorio s After 6 Months y Naval Man Maneuvers Believed Screen for Evacuation Activity WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Feb 9 INS Japanese INS Japanese forces are evacuating Guadalcanal and enemy resistance on that embattled island has ceased Secretary of the Navy Knox disclosed ed Tuesday f Thus almost six months to the day that hard fighting hard I United States marines landed on that tropical island to seize and s hold the important Henderson airfield the American for forces es emerge victorious victorious and and another step is taken on the road to i Tokyo The marines landed on Guadalcanal early last August Army forces relieved them in January r The admission by Knox was a dramatic climax to the American Ameri Amen i can land offensive which began late fate in December and culminated with the encirclement recently of Cape Esperance on the northwest north north- tr west vest tip of the island It was the second major land defeat for 7 Nippon's forces following closely the victory on New Guinea by troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur Knox made his statement reading a Berlin dispatch Ii quoting Tokyo sources which stated that the Japanese forces on Guadalcanal and at Buna in New Guinea had been transferred transferred trans trans- to other bases v tt I I dont don't think there is any doubt about the truth of tha that Ti statement Knox told a press conference He added however that small groups of enemy forces still I 38 may be holding out on the long-embattled long island nd The secretary stated that recent Japanese sea force movements move- move fe f ments in the south Pacific could possibly have been made to t cover withdrawal of the Nipponese troops from Guadalcanal This recalled statements in navy recently that j r were wert seen in vicinity and were atta attacked kc j by American planes and surface ace shipS shipS' The Japanese could easily have used these barges In night runs to move troops from Guadalcanal to other bases in the Solomons either on New Georgia or Kolom- Kolom t islands We have information from Guadalcanal supporting these re reports reports reports re- re ports of evacuation Knox em- em I em All enemy resistance apparently apparently apparently has ceased except for small d groups tZ Knox said that at the time he t ti visited Guadalcanal January 2122 2122 21 j. j 1 22 Major General Alexander M. M Mr r Patch army commander told him there were not more than r to enemy troops left iv l' l Moving for Weeks j jAt i At this point Knox again emphasized emphasized emphasized em- em that he had some information information information in- in formation from the battle zone Indicating that the Nipponese have been evacuating their forces during during during dur dur- ing the past two or three weeks Knox stressed the importance of ot the capture and holding of ot Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Gua Gua- j by American forces and j said it provided bases from which American forces could strike at i. i other held Jap-held points v The capture has both a positive post post- tive live and negative value Knox said It denied this position to the Japanese raids for on our com com- comi i ns and brought Us up r within striking distance of some of their most important bases 1 The story of the southwest Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa- Pa would have been a vastly different different dif dit- dif dif- ferent story for the last three or four months if who hadn't established established established ourselves on Guadalcanal successfully Navies Ns l Knox add added d that he had no nother nother further fur fur- jm ther reports on skirmishes be 1 tween American and Japanese Jap nes warship task forces in th b taie are j but said he presumed th these thes ji pi plays still are areg going on The secretary said that vh n nhe nhe he was an Guadalcanal fi was fie was was well satisfied there were no ig- ig number of ot Japs ln In Inny in any ny single group on the island Several of these groups have been surrounded and cut off from Continued on Page Fag Two Column Six f- f I p HIV rip T i mm rn mK 1 ui fefe ESPER tete 1 Channel HL A 1 i r 1 i II IP S i I I r i I H I I 0 25 I S STATUTE MILES I L i i 1 L W n Ob AN AMERICAN ALL ALL ISLE The Japs have ab nb Guadalcanal strategic Solomons Island I just six months after the TJ U. S. S marine s 8 made their first landing on Au August 7 Japanese Quit Qui I I Guadalcanal Fighting Ceases Cease Continued from Page One On supplies and reinforcements r c e C m men e a t s 5 Knox continued During the last phases of th the fighting the enemy enemy was driven drive into defiles between the hills an and surrounded Either death or surrender was wa their only alternative Several Severa prisoners said they had survived survive on roots they obtained In th the jungles Blast Jap Airfield Meanwhile American a i 1 r-m r e n under General Douglas MacArthur MacArthu in Australia joined In the continuing continuing contin contin- Solomons campaign by blasting blasting blasting blast blast- ing the important Kahili airdrome on the southern end of Jap held Bougainville island There wano was wa no mention of raids by planes plane from Guadalcanal Official quarters in Washington remained puzzled about the current current current cur cur- rent Japanese aims In view of th the fact that the sparring actions action have been under way for nearly two weeks When the navy first announced announce the fresh Japanese forays in th the South Pacific it stated that th the moves indicated a major attempt by the Nipponese to regain control control control con con- of the entire Solomons area Up to last reports this expected move had not materialized Some navy men believe belleve that th the Japs may be feinting in the Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Gua Gua- area and that actually they will win strike further east against American baSses bases in th the New Hebrides or Fiji areas in an attempt to cut the supply lines line to Australia |