Wednesday, June 16 Have not felt very well so remained in bed awhile. Elizabeth Ellis daughter of Wallace & Jean B. Ellis married to Lt. Albert John Bate U.S. Army 15 of June at Camp McCay, Wis. Thursday, June 17 Cloteel Rich, Ruth, Myrene & Sharlene went to Salt Lake for a couple of days to visite Oertel. WASHINGTON, June 17 American airmen knocked 77 Japanese planes out of the sky over Guadalcanal island in one of the greatest and possibly one of the most significant air battles of the war in the south Pacific, and only six United States aircraft are missing as a result of the engagement. A navy bulletin Thursday announcing this 13 to 1 ratio contained no indication as to the Japanese objective in risking so large a force of bombers and fighters in the southeastern Solomons, where they have been consistently and badly defeated in the air. In authoritative quarters here, however, it was assumed that the objective must have been one of utmost importance to the enemy and bearing directly on future developments of the war. One suggestion was the Japanese might have been trying to reach an American convoy in the area. Another was that they may have intended to cripple the base on Guadalcanal, in the assumption that it was destined to play an important role in the next big American thrust northward. Happened Wednesday The engagement took place Wednesday. The enemy planes shot down consisted of 32 bombers and 45 Zero fighters. The total strength of the enemy force was not reported, but was considered to be somewhat greater than the number of aircraft they lost. The raiding force was the largest sent by the Japanese command into the Guadalcanal area since April 7, when 50 bombers and 48 fighters attacked a convoy near the island. At that time 39 of the Nipponese planes were shot down, while American losses consisted of seven planes, two pilots and three ships destroyer, a tanker and an allied corvette.