Evening star., 1942-06-08

Retner. IL is
only because air David Lawrence.
power has tipped the balance with
the decisive factor of reconnais-
sance, speed and range in protect
ing the feet and in applying Of
fensive punishment to the enemy
feet that the laurels may be given
to aviation.
From the words of the official
communique issued after the battle
of the Coral Sea and from some
what the same wording after the
battle of the Midway area, certain
conclusions can be deduced that
tell of the originality of Americas
use Of air power.
Thus both official communiques
after the two battles spoke of the
participation of the United States
Army. This could mean the Army
Air Corps. Since the size of bomb
ers or fighter planes that can take
of from the deck of aircraft car
riers is limited, it must mean that
flying fortresses arriving from land
bases played vital part in the naval
action in both the Coral Sea and in
mid-Pacific.
The range Of our big bombers
hitherto published varies from 5000
to 5000 miles. Maybe it is longer
than anything guessed at by the
public. This correspondent doesn't
know, but has confidence in the
engineering genius of the aircraft
industry. 1t is performing miracles
In this war.
Since the Army Air Corps par
ticipated, 1t is possible that some
of our flying fortresses replacing
those which the Japanese six
months ago destroyed at Pearl
Harbor easily flew the 1900 miles
from Hawaii to the Midway Islands
and thence to the battle zone,
probably 200 to 300 miles further
away. 1t is even possible that these
fortresses didn't arrive on the first
day Of the battle but came in re-
spouse to radio notification when
the Japanese fleet was encountered.
With bombers flying 400 miles or
more an hour, it should have taken
only a few hours for the big bomb
ers to arrive at the battle area. 1t
will be recalled that the official an
nouncements say the battle lasted
several days-time enough for US to
work relay of flying fortresses or
medium sized bombers from Hawai-
Ian bases.
1t is even possible that we sacri-
ficed some bombers. 1t would be
small price to pay for inflicting such
a damaging blow on japanese feet
power. 1t is possible also that we
may have sent bombers out to scour
the sea and then northward to land
at Dutch Harbor where we have
facilities for handling planes. 1t
will be noted that the official an
nouncement speaks of continuing
battle and Of possible further dam
age as the japanese flee homeward.
Maybe our flying fortresses have
been making wide circle in the
Pacific and we shall hear of further
damage to Japanese ships.
The fact that 50 many Japanese
warships have been officially an
nounced as sunk or damaged and
that the Navy speaks of combined
Army Marine Corps and naval &C
ton would lead to the surmise that
the United States Fleet could not
have mustered a big enough force
of surface ships alone to achieve
the victory. 1t may be inferred
that the Japanese took their chance
in sending out such an armada Of
warships believing that with five
aircraft carriers and at least $50
fighting planes, they would be more
than match for any units of the
far-fung American fleet which has
been dispersed so widely in the
Pacific on convoy duty.
1t is apparent, too. that the Japa-
nese attacks on Dutch Harbor were
mere feints designed to divert at
tention, and perhaps more Ameri-
can ships from the Midway area, so
that decisive attack on Midway
and then Hawaii could be launched.
Unquestionably the japanese did
not count on the terrible damage
which our land-based Army and
Marine Corps planes can do, and
doubtless underestimated also the
size of our naval fleet. Maybe the
British Navy had something to do
with this part of the strategy. Only
last Friday it was officially an
nOunced that huge British convoy
reached India early in May, accom-
panied by some of the most pow
erful units of the British Navy. In
the month that has elapsed since
the convoy arrived in India, where
did those British warships go?
Presumably they went around Au-
stralia to the South Pacific and re-
lieved some of the American war
ships which had been on duty
there. thus giving the American
Navy a chance to mobilize In the
vicinity of Midway or over in the
Caroline Islands area from which
our ships may have started.
The Navy has been wisely secre-
tive about the movements of its
ships. The public may have grown
impatient that data about our losses
in the battle of the Coral Sea almost
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