Evening star., 1942-09-18
japanese Jungle Tactics

The war in the South Pacific is as
complex as it is far-fung. Extend
ing over millions of square miles of
island-studded ocean, it has many
phases and at least three strategical
aSpects-those of land, sea and air.
For the moment, land fighting holds
the spotlight and centers around the
tactically separate yet Strategically
connected operations on Guadal-
canal Island in the SolomonS and in
the New Guinea hills back of Port
Moresby. In both those areas, savage
battles are being fought between
relatively small, yet highly special
lied units. And the outcome appar-
emily will be determined by the
relative skill and stamina of the
respective forces.
Probably the greatest single sur
prise of the Pacific war has been the
extraordinary ability of Japans
jungle troops. First in Malaga and
then in Burma, they applied infiltra-
ton tactics which quickly over
whelmed their British and East
Indian opponents. Much the same
was true in the Netherlands Indies
And it begins to look as though his
tory might repeat itself in New
Guinea. During the past ten days
the Japanese jungle specialists have
made an amazing series of advances,
first across the reputedly impreg-
nable Owen Stanley Mountains, and
then through the rugged foothills
between the main range and the sea-
coast. In the past three days they
have gone fully twenty miles
through terrain covered with sup
posedly impenetrable jungle, and
they have accomplished all this
against the stubborn opposition of
veteran Australian troops who are
also jungle-wise. They are now half
way from the mountains to Port
Moresby, the main Allied base in New
Guinea which covers the approach
At Guadalcanal the situation is
thus far less disquieting. Guadal-
canal is large island, nearly one
hundred miles long and averaging
between thirty and forty miles broad.
The interior is hilly to mountainous
and, for the most part, clad in heavy
ivy, Eor1yy i,a AI1o,,cf bow ,,oiofc
on the coast, together with a half
completed airfield, were captured by
our Marines as part of the brilliant
surprise operation which took the
Southern Solomons The remnant of
the Japanese garrison of Guadal-
canal was driven into the interior,
where they were systematically
hunted by our forces. However, they
were never eXterminated, and re-
Gently they have been heavily REIN
forced by japanese troops landed
probably by speedboats under cover
of darkness. Although the airfield
and coastal points are still in our
possession, it looks as though the
jungle hinterland was mostly in Jap
anese control. Whether our forces
on Guadalcanal were not strong
enough to maintain the offensive
against the strengthened Japanese,
or whether the latter's infiltration
tactics through, the dense jungle
succeeded there as on New Guinea,
has not yet been revealed by our
communiques.
One thing, however, appears GER
tain. The highly trained Japanese
jungle fighters are opponents so
dangerously resourceful that none
but the best troops can cope with
them on that difficult terrain. It is
now known that the Japanese high
command has been training large
units for years in this highly spe-
cialized type of warfare, their train
ing grounds being Formosa and
Southern China, where semi i-tropical
jungle country is abundantly found.
That is one more proof of the metic-
ulous care with which the war lords
of Toxic prepared for the gigantic
gamble they have undertaken.