Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-12-20

'N''o"' Wv 'tNN 49, "a
ulation base d
upon the obvious David Lawrence
in the news is not unnatural. Thus
the official announcements have dis
closed that the American Fleet was
seeking contact with the enemy.
This may be taken to mean that
the feet has been on the hunt for
The japanese ships ever since the
first attack nearly two weeks ago.
1t may be inferred also that the
feet in the Pacific has received
"einforcementS to make up for the
losses at Pearl Harbor though the
bulk of the fleet-cruisers and air.
craft carriers which would partici-
pate in an offensive-were in the
main unframed and away from
Hawaii at the time of the initial
invasion.
Big battleships customarily are
not engaged in commerce raiding
or in harassing the supply lines of
q nation which is occupied as is
Japan with the transportation Of
troops and supplies to far-fung
areas of military operations, thou
sands of miles from home ports. 1t
may be taken for granted that the
swifter vessels of the American
Fleet are the ones active in the
movement toward specified objec-
lives in the sea lanes where Japan
has been operating her transports.
Collaboration Assumed.
With the fleet for offensive pur-
poses not only 60 airplanes that
IAN be launched from the decks of
aircraft carriers but submarines
and destroyers as we'll as fast NOV
ing cruisers. Nobody here outside
Of the Navy itself knows the secret
of how the fleet is dispersed and
whether it is divided into small
cquadrons or into major units. No
oody here knows what cooperation
between the Dutch and British
navles and the American Navy is
in prospect. The only thing that
can be assumed is that the sudden
ress of the attack on Pearl Harbor
cid not permit as much collabora-
ton before that event as has proba-
bly, taken place since then.
About two weeks have elapsed
since Pearl Harbor. That's lot of
time within which a feet of the
power of the British and American
and Dutch navies could get together
on a concerted plan for the de-
Tense Of the western Pacific. Sec
rotary Knox revealed in his speech
at Annapolis yesterday that the Jap
anese have a naval superiority in
numbers in the western Pacific.
But this would hardly deter the
Allied navies from assuming an ag-
eressive course, and the results of
such a course may be expected to
be reported in the not far distant
future, though the areas are ire
mendous and it would not be sur
prising if actual contact with the
enemy was confined for a while to
occasional engagements between
submarines and transports.
Looking back over Pearl Harbor.
the japanese indeed did fail in the
broad sense because the major part
If the American fleet was unframed.
The loss of the men and the dam
age to the capital ships is a heavy
blow, but from the standpoint of
offensive warfare, the main loss was
the planes which now have to be
replaced, whereas under other more
favorable circumstances the new
planes would have gone to Far
Eastern bases more promptly.
To Lose Initiative.
The loss of bases in Guam and
Wake and the constant hammering
of the Philippine air fields has often
been discounted by the strategists
But the initiative will not always
rest with Japan. Gradually, as the
Allies bring their navies into coop
Grafton, the japanese sea lanes will
be broken and it will be more and
more difficult for Nippons armies to
get supplies There is also the pros
pect of raids on japanese territory
ov American bombers if only to COM
pei the japanese to divert some of
their planes and ships to the pro-
lection of their coasts.
The actual situation is not consid-
cred discouraging from long run
aspect though there can be no con-
ealing the disappointment here that
Pearl Harbor was not on the alert.
TIE corresponding stimulus to the
Nays moral, from the Pearl Har-
Dor affair may be counted on to put
the fleet and the air force into a
high state of efficiency. 1t is too
early to expect reports of important
naval action, but the next two or
three weeks may tell different
story. Japan may have won the first
touchdown, but there are four quar-
tiers to the game.
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