Pacific Counterblow - Air Force Historical Studies Office

flying to within 50 miles of Rabaul. Weather permitting, this was
efficient coverage. To hinder such activity, the Japanese brought a
fresh and highly trained fighter unit into the Shortland area. On
occasion, the B-17's went farther afield, on 2 October to Kapingamarangi
(Greenwich) Island, where photos were taken and the area
strafed.
On ii October, Admiral Scott's cruiser force, San Francisco, Salt
Lake City, Helena, and Boise, two heavies and two lights, with attendant
destroyers, cruised off Rennell Island, out of range of Japanese
air search but within 5 hours' steaming of Savo. At 1345,
Henderson reported search planes had discovered two cruisers and
six destroyers southbound down The Slot. Further information on
Japanese naval movement was denied by intensive air raids on Henderson
during the afternoon. Calculating that the enemy should
be off Savo an hour before midnight, Admiral Scott bore north,
expecting to meet only the force reported during the early afternoon.
Although the enemy's armada proved considerably more substantial,
that fact served only to increase Jap losses in the night action which
succeeded. The Battle of Cape Esperance cost the Imperial Navy
two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, five destroyers, and an auxiliary;
"another heavy cruiser and various destroyers were damaged. Our
own losses were 175 killed and a number wounded. The destroyer
Duncan was lost.
Cape Esperance not only failed to stop the Express; it hardly gave
it pause. However, 4,000 U. S. Army troops of Maj. Gen. Alexander
M. Patch's Americal Division were subsequently put ashore in time
to face the Japanese fury, which thenceforth increased in scale and
effectiveness. The enemy was working up to another big push. He
began by virtually knocking out the Guadalcanal airdrome.
At Henderson, the 67 th Fighter Squadron had been continuing its
strafing and bombing. New pilots had arrived; most of the original
group were dead or back in the rear areas. New planes-P-39D-I's
and P- 39K's-were coming in, being assembled, tested, and flown up
to Guadalcanal-just as the old P-4oo's had made the journey in
August.
The 9th of October was a routine day. The field was muddy.
Six P- 4oo's were scheduled for a mission against the Kokumbona area
to the west. Taxiing in the mud, one P- 4oo broke off a nose wheel;
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