Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-05
Macarthur
Retains Air
Supremacy
Outeuesses Jap Leaders
Hits at Soft Spots
BY PAUL MALL0N

WASHINGTON June Do
W not overlook the import of
dispatches from General Mac
Arthur's front He has been
bombing the advance Jap bases
of Rabaul and Lac daily. while
all that the Japs have been able
TO present in the war Of retail
iation are twice week air
thrusts at northern Australian
points.
Three times have the Japs
struck out overland on the short
journey to Moresby and Lac.
(You will read this column better
with a map) First they were
matted in the jungle by floods;
the next two times by Austral-
ians, and perhaps some Ameri-
cans.
They also tried 10 come
around in great naval force TO
take it by sea. But they ran
into MacArthurs bombers and
a large American naval force
and retired after the famous
battle of the Coral Sea.
I ATELY they have been send
ing over planes in apparent
preparation for a parachute at
tack next, but Macarthur is
keeping plenty of interceptors
around handy to receive them.
While his bases are in Aus
tralia, he flies fighters or inter-
ceptors over to do their missions
against Jap aircraft in New
Guinea and then refuels them
there before returning. Thus,
without strong bases around
Port Moresby, he nevertheless
has been able to maintain SUI
premacy in the air there.
You can read the results Of
these tactics plainly in the
public utterances of the Aus
tralian Prime Minister John
Curtin. A month ago he was
hollering his head off for help.
Last Wednesday he dared the
Japs to invade.
TNHE Japs probably never in
l. tended to invade Australia,
but they have had their eyes on
certain strategic northern
points. Broome, Port Darwin
and Wyndham. All they have
been able to do about these is
to bomb them and make them
somewhat hazardous points for
Macarthur to base any large
number of planes. Hes can use
them but he cannot enlarge
them much.
While Australia is a very
large place and the Japs could
no doubt land at many northern
points if they could get suf-
ficient force together, ii appears
MacArthur's tactics have def
nitely stopped their southwark
aggression.
His way of breaking up their
Irresistible" sea-land-air blitZ
advances has been to keep them
from getting started. His idea
is to hit them before they start
and his daily bombings of Lac
and Rabaul have served that
purpose better than repelling
them at Port Moresby or in
Australia.
MOST of the Jap naval forces
WI have been withdrawn from
the Bay of Bengal. which sug-
gests that the threat of inva-
sion of India is likewise growing
more remote. American bomb
ing of the Andaman Islands
caused the yellow fellows to
move their seacraft back to
safety.
Also the rainy season has
started out there in sufficient
force to discourage any attempt
against India at this time.
THE Jap pincers drive into
l. China, however, remains an
indiStinct but serious threat.
More Jap troops are constantly
being poured into Central China.
So far they have not shown
sufficient initiative to warrant
the conclusion that they want
10 drive into the heart of China,
and annihilate the Chinese ar
mics. They seem only to want
TO push deep enough TO seize
any airfields from which Japan
might be bombed.
Their ccumula ton OF
strength in China may likewise
be designed for safety against
a possible Russian attack, or
for starting one. At any rate
il is clear they are massing
their major strength in the CEN
ter of radius of their conquests,
and near 10 home.
The Chinese blew bridges on
the Burma road. but the Japs
came up the Salween River
from Burma and have now cut
all the alternate land routes
from India.
Those roads upon which So
600 coolies were put TO work
and the railroad lines that were
being constructed have been
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