Evening star., 1942-01-18
Burma or Juyu?

Peninsula brings. within sight the
prospect of a siege Of Singapore.
Even though that great fortress can
hold out long time, it could be 80
closely invested by land, sea, and air
that it would become local phase
of the far-flung Far Eastern war,
much like the present situation of
General MacArthur's army, isolated
in the Bataan Peninsula and Cor
regidor.
If the Japanese bottle up the
British in Singapore, large proper
ton of the troops and field equip
ment now in action in Malaga will
be available for use elsewhere. The
question then arises where the Jap
anese high command will throw the
full weight Of its striking power. It
is unlikely that Japanese strategy
can undertake two major offensives
simultaneously, so long as Singapore
and Corregidor hold out. And there
is little doubt that the choice In main
objectives lies between Burma and
Java. Both are tempting prizes,
since the taking of either would mark
long step toward Japanese mastery
of the whole Far East.
Burma is at once the eastern gate
way to British India and the en-
trance to the highroad which links
Free China with the outer world. A
Japanese conquest of Burma would
deprive the Chinese armies of the
heavy equipment and airplanes with
out which they cannot successfully
cope with the Japanese invaders.
But an invasion of Burma by land is
an extremely hazardous undertaking.
Burma is sundered from Japanese
occupied Indo- o-China and Thailand
by an almost unbroken belt Of noun
tain and jungle, cut at intervals by
swift-howing rivers rushing through
rocky gorges. Only along the sea-
coast would large-scale military
operations be possible. And recent
reports indicate that Burma is being
so heavily reinforced with British
and Chinese troops that nothing
short of full -f1edged Japanese in
vasion along this relatively narrow
front would have any chance Of Sue
cess. . --.-..
It therefore seems more reasonable
to believe that the japanese will
concentrate upon conquest Of the
Netherlands Indies, eliminating in
the taking of Java. This incredibly
rich and densely populated island is
the seat OF Dutch Colonial power.
The Japanese are already attacking
the outer shield Of islands, from
Borneo to New Guinea. It is also
probable that they will soon invade
the island Of Sumatra, which lies
across the Malacca Straits from
British Malaga. A Japanese invasion
of that great island might produce
a rising of the warlike Achinese, who,
unlike the other native races of the
Dutch Indies, were subdued only
after prolonged wars and are still
unreconciled to Dutch rule.
Possession of the Dutch Indies
would give Japan a tremendously
strong strategic situation for fur
ther campaigning. From this CEN
trail position, the japanese could
strike either eastward toward Aus
tralia or northward and westward
at Burma and India. Even though
the Malacca Straits might still be
closed by beleaguered Singapore, the
Japanese Navy could enter the In
dian Ocean by the sunda Strait be-
tween Java and Sumatra. Effective
naval and military cooperation be-
tween the British and Americans
would become difficult if not impos-
sible. The huge block Of island
studded sea between China and Aus
tralia would be consolidated into an
immense natural fortress intimately
connected with the japanese Pacific
Mandate island group which already
stands in Americas path from
Hawaii. The Anglo-American Allies
might have to reduce these vast nat
ural fortresses bit by bit, proceeding
respectively from Australia and
India, with the Japanese enjoying
the great benefit of interior lines.
It is hard to see Japanese strategy
passing up this opportunity.