Evening star., 1942-04-10
Australia
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are laying a first class foundation
for air war against the Japanese
and, simultaneously, arr. doing their
best to hold the Japanese where
they are north of Australia"
Gen. Brett said the United Ma
tions still were not in position to
drive the enemy from his bases in
New Guinea and Timor, but were
holding him. giving ourselves In
valuable time to build up for essen
tial action on mass scale"
His statement conceded with a
warning from Mr.. Drakeford that
Japan's air power has not been
diminished and that the turning
point for Australia's defenders still
is to be reached. although 126 jap
anese planes were knocked out OF
action in the last month.
Japs Not Brought to Halt.
'It- would be fatal to think that
the Japanese have been brought to
a halt, although Australian and Al
lied air blows north of Australia in
the last month have been spectacu-
lar" Mr.. Drakeford said.
In the month up to Wednesday,
he said, 66 Japanese planes were
wrecked, 40 more probably were de-
stsoyed and another 40 badly dam
aged.
Since then, nine more enemy
planes-the bag Of two air sweeps
yesterday on Rabaul. New Britain
have raised the total Of definitely
destroyed planes to rs.
Despite these successes, Allied air
strength in North Australia is far
short of what is required to lay the
basis for an offensive" Mr.. Drake
ford declared.
Curtin Deplores War News.
Prime Minister John Curtin, evi-
IDENTITY referring to United Nations
setbacks in the Pacific-Bataan,
Britain's two lost cruisers in the
Bay of Bengal and lost ground in
Burma-isSued statement blunt
" calling the war news bad"
TT urgently makes manifest the
formidable task of the United Ma
ticns in this supreme and probably
decisive period" he said.
Nothing less than AL we have
Is enough for Australia. The Al
lies have duty to each other. Aus
tralians have duty. Now is the
time to practice it."
= Japs Now Have Nine Bases.
The Japanese occupation of Lo-
rengau, on Manus Island, largest
of the Admiralty group, north of
New Guinea, which was confirmed
yesterday in an aerial ,reconnais-
sance report, increased to at least
nine the number of possible air
bases the Japanese hold from the
Admiralty group in the west to
the Solomons In the east, the Port
Moresby correspondent of the sgd
ney Herald reported.
1T remains to be seen, he OBJ
served, whether establishment of
such bases is movement for en-
circlement Of Port Moresby to tie
up with a future drive from Timor
or the Moluccas through the Ara.
flra Sea to the Gulf of Carpentaria
W u stepping stone" move to by
pass Port Moresby for drive
toward New Caledonia and possibly
New Zealand.
The Port Moresby dispatch said it
was known that besides Lorengau,
the Japanese occupy Finschhafen,
Bae and Salamaua, all In New
Guinea, across the mountains and
tungleland from Port Moresby;
Kavieng, New Ireland; Rabaul and
Gasmata, new Britain, Buka Island
and Fais Island.
-sThis chain of bases extends more
than 1000 miles, which means the
Invaders must be supplied from
centers like the Truk or Palau Is
lands of the Japanese Caroline
group. 49,,
Z ERabaul on New Britain, the Port
Moresby account said, remains the
key to the situation.
eff we smash Rabau1 we smash
the whole Japanese chain in waters
northeast of Australia and by re-
taking Rabaul. we ourselves would
obtain q vital base"
A.. n-I1 cIs