The Nome nugget., 1942-02-16
CAMPAIGN IN FAR EAST
 NOW AT CRITICAL POINT
FORTY DAYS OF FIGHTING HAVE BROUGHT
 JAPANESE NEAR ALLIES MAIN LINES
By Hanson w. Baldwin, New York Times

Washington--After nearly forty days of struggle in the Pacific the Japanese campaigns in the Far East approaching crisis which will determine the course of the war and it's duration The Japanese are approaching our main line of resistance, where they must be stopped and held and thrown back unless the is to be indefinitely prolonged and it's entire course probably altered
 The Pacific theatre is secondary only in the sense that offensive power, it is held, should first be concentrated in the West to be thrown against Reich sfuehrer Hitler But the importance of holding Snga pore and the barrier of the Netherlands Indies is fully realized the threat to them has already changed sra egcal priorities the effort to hold them and to stab
 ze the Japanese tide of empire in the Far East to pen up Japanese ambitions within the Chlna Sea. will be secondary to nothing.
 Plans for Battle
 Japanese plans are now clear. No was made until the Russians forced by the furious German offensive in the west to weaken their Far Eastern armies by the transfer of at least sixteen divisions the Moscow Front. With the Russian offensive power thus reduced neutraliZed, the Japanese contained the remainder of the Russian Far Eastern strength with about one-third of their army; they withdrew forces from China leaving another third of their land power battle the Chinese and thus made available perhaps tWenty-odd divisions, the bulk of their air power, originally estimated at 5000 combat planes and nearly all of their strong navy for service elsewhere Their Strategical plan was based on neu- trazin9 blows to the north, east and west of the is lands while directing their main effort to the south and southwest The United States Fleet severely dam age it's power to intervene in the Western Pacific, already reduced by transfer of units to the Atlantic partly neutralized for months The British Fleet at Singapore crippled by the sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse American air power in Hawaii and the Philippines temporarily wiped out; British air power in Malaga severely hurt.
 Action in Philippines
 Then the Japanese Army went into action: from beachheadS established in the Philippines at Luzon and Davao, Mindanao; against Hong Kong holding offensive against the Chinese which resulted in the sever but probably exaggerated losses at Changsha; down the jungles of the Malay PenisnuIa and finally against the islands of the Netherlands Indies - all in an attempt to ring the China Sea with bases that will command all entrances to the area of conflict The Japanese have been partly successfu in the first weeks the victories have been the enemys But they are not decisive and they not complete
 Across the Manchukuan frontier some twenty odd Russian divisions stll face the forces of Japan The Soviet Far Eastern Army is neutraized but not neg atved it is still army that is potential threat and that forces Japan to keep large portion of her strength idle in the north The Chinese, still fighting and with better weapons daily killing more Jap aneSe, daily increasing the strain of the of attr ton that has continued for four and half years
 The Philippines, though nearly completely neu trazed naval and air bases, are still unconquered Gen. MacArthurs forces in Luzon, occupying strong positions are still strongly resisting They too helping to drain the strength of Japan.