Evening star., 1942-07-05
Bv Constantine Brovn.

several months, all 1t has been able to
draw from those territories, which are
rich in basic war material, is food. Ship
load after shipload of rice and other
foodstuffs are being sent to Japan to
feed a population which until few
months ago was on the verge of starva-
ton
With our warships dispersed over the
seven seas, we are interfering little
with Japanese lines of communication.
An occasional raid sends down few
Japanese merchantmen, but these are
picayunish operations. Even so, the jap
anese feel these losses strongly, because
their yards are not capable of building
warships and merchantmen in large
numbers.
The Nipponese have lost at least so
per cent of their aircraft carriers, and
their replacement is must" They also
must replace cruisers and destroyers,
without which they cannot hope to
maintain their lines of communication.
They can do all this in sufficient time,
but deprived of oil and other raw ma
terials from the newly conquered terri
tories they are finding 1t a difficult task.
While defeat of Hitler's legions will
require Allied forces to penetrate into
the territory Of the Reich itself, many
students of Pacific strategy are con-
vinced that the japanese can be brought
to their knees by severing their lines
Of communication with the outside world.
This theory was fully recognized and
accepted in the fall of 1887 when the
Japanese sank the gunboat Panay and
some of our naval officers, who saw the
Second World War coming, suggested
that we blockade Japan. Diplomatic and
internal political considerations pre-
vented this step at the time.
Allies in Safe Position Now.
AS far as Japan's dependency on the
| outside world is concerned, the situation
| is the same today as it was in 1887 The
| Japanese are organizing Indo- China,
| the Netherlands Indies, the Philippines
| and Borneo and expect to derive great
benefits from those territories in due
time. But determined action by the
|
safe in Australia, led by a combined
American British feet in the Pacific, can
still puncture the Japanese dreams OF
domination and give us the first game
of the deadly rubber we are playing with
the Axis.
Competent observers believe we can
isolate Japan and bypass her in moving
against Hitler through Asia. But this
requires a sound strategy, based on the
theory that this is going to be long
war and that the best way to win 1t
will be to knock out the Axis piecemeal
beginning with the vulnerable Far East
ern member.
Lines of communication between
Japan and its new possessions are
guarded rather thinly by the fleet. Its
major weapon is landbased aviation
The japanese have a good air force pro-
tecting them in the Southwest Pacific
islands, which they won more through
our lack of preparation than through
their own proWess, but that air force
is far from being invincible. Quite the
contrary, it frequently makes very poor
showing against American aviation, ever
when we are numerically inferior.
The Jap-held Pacific islands can b'
recaptured Allied military and naval ex'
perts think, by a determined effort or
our part. Our Australian bases ought II
permit such operations, provided, o
course, that the AEF in Australia re-