“Cactus,” Guadalcanal

Low on food. Dust, mud, rain, heat, stinks, flies, mosquitoes! Swam in river and read.

Operations out here reveal a lack of “air-minded” leadership. The TBFs wished to raid Buin three weeks ago, during the presence of THREE Jap carriers in the area. Red tape stalled it until only four AKs were left (two weeks later!)

Our heavy planes are useless here except for night harassment and patrols, which are really PBY functions. We could do the war more good with one plane carrying supplies to the starving Chinese army than 20 planes throwing bombs into the Bougainville jungle. Heavy bombers should be saved for mass raids on Japan proper and Europe. This place (the Solomons) can be held forever with TBFs, SBDs, and F4Us (or F4Fs). Why play into Jap hands by throwing needed bombers away over an outpost like Bougainville? This war won’t be won until real airmen direct air operations.