Evening star., 1942-04-07
CeyIon Was Ready

"iCAl waves VI JdpdilcSc pldIeS
roared in from the Indian Ocean and
struck at Colombo early on Easter
Sunday morning, they obviously
hoped to stage another Pearl Harbor.
However, the port metropolis of
Ceylon was ready for them. The
Japanese air armada, light fighters
and dive bombers launched from air.
craft carriers somewhere at sea,
Jared badly. Over one-third were
shot down and many others were
damaged.
OF course, we do not yet know what
the raiders accomplished. The Brit
ish say they did little, while the Jap
anese say they inflicted heavy dam
age on harbor works and shipping.
Colombo is a great port with many
vessels usually in harbor and along
the quays. 1t is interesting to note
that the Japanese chose Colombo as
their first target rather than Trim
GONZALEZ, the fortified naval base on
the other side of the island, which is
nearest to the new Japanese bases
on the Andaman Islands across the
Bay OF Bengal. That would have
been the logical objective, because
1t is nearer and strategically more
important. The fact that Trinco-
malee was not attacked suggests
that it is protected even better than
Colombo against air raids.
1t is heartening to see that, at Co.
lombo, the sadly familiar story: TOO
little and too late" has been turned
into the CHEEKY slogan: Enough and
on time" Even before the fall of
Singapore, the British were preparing
feverishly to put Ceylon in readiness
for a Japanese assault. Well they
might; for the Importance of the
island cannot be overestimated.
This pear-shaped appendage to
the tip Of India, some 800 miles long
by 100 broad, Is about the size of
West Virginia and has 100000 in
habitants. Though separated from
India only by narrow strait dotted
with reefs which are called Adams
Bridge, Ceylon has a very different
background from its huge neighbor.
Converted early to Buddhism, the
faith survived in Ceylon after it died
out in India, and has deeply nodded
the ideals and culture of the Cinga-
lese people. Furthermore, Ceylon
has been under European rule for
nearly four centuries-arst Portu-
guese, then Dutch, and finally Brit
lsh; each holding possession for about
$50 years. All three regimes have
left their mark on the island, thus
further differentiating it from India.
Ceylon is a crown colony Of the Brit
ish Empire, not connected politically
with India in any way.
In naval grand strategy, Ceylon Is
the key to the Indian Ocean. So long
as the naval base at Trincomalee is
in British hands, japanese fleets can
hardly venture further westward to-
wards Africa, the Red Sea, and the
Persian Gulf, thereby menacing the
United Nations supply routes around
the Cape of Good Hope. Were Ceylon
to fall into Japanese hands, however,
those routes would be Immediately
endangered, while the east coast Of
India, including the great port cities
Of Calcutta and Madras, would be
isolated by water. The blow would
thus be fully as serious as was the
fall of Singapore.
Besides its strategic significance,
Ceylon has local Importance. It is
the one remaining source of large
scale rubber production left in United
Nations hands, while it's rich plains
and fertile valleys grow other val
uable products, and it's hill slopes
grow most of Britain's tea-as indis-
pensable to the English as coffee is to
the American table. We may thus be
certain that Britain will do it's utmost
to hold an island so vital in every
way.