Evening star., 1942-03-12
New Guinea in Peril

With daily landings and aerial
bombings, New Guinea is feeling the
full fury of the japanese onset. Well
may Australia be alarmed, for New
Guinea is the commemorative
northern bulWark and shield. This
immense island, almost continental
in size, extends just south of the
Equator for nearly 1900 miles, run
ming almost due east and west. It's
total area is $4,000 square miles
about the combined size of Texas and
Oklahoma. The western half of the
island is Dutch. The eastern half is
British, though the northern quar-
ter was German down to the Great
War, when it became an Australian
mandate under the League of Ma
tions. Included in this mandate is
the large island of New Britain and
the archipelago of the Solomon Is
lands, which extend eastward into
the Pacific for another 1000 miles,
thus continuing Australias pro-
tective shield from an attack from
the northward. However, New Brit
ain already has fallen into Japanese
hands, while landings on the Solo,
mons have begun.
The japanese invasion Of New
Guinea thus far has been confined by
land to occupation Of points on the
northeast coast. thereby clinching
Japan's hold on the sea passage,
known as Dampier Strait. between
New Guinea and New Britain. Those
landings likewise yield good air
fields for better bombing of Port
Moresby and other points on the
southern coast. High mountains
and dense jungle country between
the two coasts render overland troop
movements impracticahs. But Aus
tralian defense forces in New Guinea
admittedly are too small to resist
further japanese landings in the
south. Intensely tropical, undevel-
oped save at a few coastal points,
and inhabited by savage tribes, the
island cannot long be held against
large-scale japanese attacks such as
now appear to be under way.
Once in possession of New Guinea's
key coastal points, the japanese will
face only 100 miles of islet and reef
streWn water, known as Torres Strait,
which separates New Guinea from
the northern tip of Australia And
there is nothing to prevent the Japa-
nese, with adequate naval and air
power, from jumping the gap and
getting an Australian foothold, be-
cause the commemorative northern
tip, the Cape York Peninsula, is
likewise undeveloped, almost unin-
habited country. Much the same is
true of other portions of Northern
Australia. The only defensible point
Is Port Darwin, far to the westward.
And that is connected with the set
tied portions OF the commonwealth
by a single line of communications
crossing over 1000 miles of semi
desert country
To be sure, japanese possession Of
New Guinea and even of Northern
Australia would not necessarily mean
an immediate invasion of the centers
of population which lie along the
eastern and southern sides of this
vast continent, large as the United
States, though with only 100000
inhabitants. 1t might be protective
move to block an Anglo-American
counteroffensivea against the recently
conquered Dutch Indies while Japan
turns its energies westward on India.
Yet japanese strategy may contem-
plate an all-out drive on Australia,
to deprive America of its one remain
ing base for future operations across
the Pacific Thus the threat to Aus
tralia is pressing, and it's alarm is
we'll justified.