The Wilmington morning star., 1942-07-27
Interpreting
The War y
Jap Attack On Russia
Is Strongly indicated
By Available Son,.,,
By JOHN M. HIGHTOWpD
Wide World War Anal N

"ai ANALYST
A japanese attack on Pr,.
within two or three weeks is s.. ~s&a
ly indicated by available i,tor.as' rSoas'
regarding the military sjtn.toa jt4aoa
the Pacific and East Asia b
If it comes it will o2eo h.
most important active from VI
world theater of conflict, plrr>
armies roughly estimated AZ ~
men each into battle deeply i,. ,.@
the resources and fortunes q. .,,'N .n
United Nations. g. Ns
There is, of course q r,,.s..
that it may not come, Jar.,"'Dy
sent troop concentrations ! 'e'
chruia and the Cobb desert 7s,,i.s Y1''',
Mongolia may be part of ~s .,~ y.
nerves intended to help Germ.r'. !"
keeping Russian men and w., W
ment tied up far from the pSS s-''
German front. '''S''
nut sucn passalVe Resistance
would give Japan little claim ~,
territorial acquisition in even, d.
German triumph in the wesr f,W'
ed by a German-dcminated n.s'
with Russia - presumably pssn sI's
goal for 1912 - and Tokyo ra,s, ,,I
hardly fail to take that into accora. 4
For what Japan wants o,r -.
war with Russia, either war &,
nerves OF a war OF combat is Sim,I
geographical security. Win W.
Russian advance base at VIadi,o,, " -"
only 700 miles from ToEvo TonA sA
can gain this security only bv fo~a
ing the Russians out of their ,nar,
time provinces and We'll hacl. w..
the interior of Russia - possib,v wv
far back as Lake Baikal and ,bs
Lena river. ''
The facts Which have led many
observers to conclude that = ror
anese attack on Siberia is immfnen,
are chiefly, first, that weather cor
dltions in northeast Asia ara mae.
favorable for military activity dur
ing August and Septenbe,, and
second, that the Russians are boinp
hard-pressed by Germany So that
their problem Of supplying and
eventually reinforcing their eastern
forces might be expected to be 4y.
tremely difficult.
There are the reports. too rb..
fighting in China has decrease
somewhat in recent weeks tba,
Japan has large forces massed in
Manchuria and as far west as t5-
Cobb desert, that since the battle d.
Midway the japanese have up5er
taken no heavy new commttmen,
of either military or naval strenerb
Furthermore, the occupation Of s
lands in the Aleutian chain looks
more like a thanking move AGAINST
Russia than preparation for
major attack on North America
If Japan does move AGAINST Rus,
sia it likely will be Will number
of more or less concurrent attacks
by land, sea, and air to.ceS. In al.
dltion to an assault ON VladiyoStVi,
these might include actions agalns
khabarovsk to the north, Perv.
pavlosk on kamchatka peninsula
opposite the western tip Of the Aleu-
t1ans, and in the direction Of Lake
Baikal where the aim would he to
cut the trans-S Siberian railroad.
Russia's most obvious counter
move would be immediate bombing
OF the industrial heart Of Ja.sN
around Tokyo. and it undoubtedly
would be up to the United States
TO see that the Siberian Allies rel
celved bombers in increasing QuanI
Titles. Since bombers are also neei'
ed in England, Egypt, India, Austgr
liza, China and on the Russo-Genna
front, that would be no small orj:'
to fill despite the golden oppC.tun
lty for striking Japan where sh;
can be most badly hurt