Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-25
The Portent of Subunu

The heavy aerial bombing of the
japanese base at Sabang, at the
northern tip of the island of Su-
matra, is an event Of far more than
local significance. The very fact
that it was attempted and success
fully carried out reveals a wide
spread shifting of the strategic bal
ance in both the Middle and Far
East.
The raid on Sabang was made by
planes launched from one or more
aircraft carriers which formed part
of a powerful British naval force
operating in the Bay of Bengal. 1t
must be powerful; otherwise it would
not have dared to cruise within
range of the japanese naval bases
installed in the Andaman and Nico-
bar island chain which lies out in
the Indian Ocean as a sort of break
water reaching from the tip of Su-
matra almost to the delta tip of
Burma near Rangoon. This logically
suggests that naval preponderance
in all the waters west of the Malacca
Straits and Singapore has passed
from Japanese to British hands.
The significance of such change
can be appreciated when it is re-
called that, only a few months ago,
japanese squadrons and naval based
aircraft we're attacking Ceylon, raid
ing the Indian east coast, and dis
rupting the shipping lane to CAL
cutta. So long as Britain controls
the Bay of Bengal, India is safe from
a japanese invasion, since the Japa-
nese can effectively attack it only
by sea- This, in itself, is great
gain. With a japanese landing in
force ruled out, Indian fifth column
activities may be discounted and a
much larger proportion of the Brit
ish and native troops hitherto tied
down there to ensure internal sta
bility will be freed for offensive
action.
That action is, pre-eminently, the
long hoped-for assault on Burma on
a decisive scale. The current thrust
of a British mixed force along the
frontier strip of coast from Chitta-
gong towards Akyab is, in itself, a
minor operation. geographically,
Akyab is an isolated japanese out
post, sundered from the heart of
Burma by towering mountains.
But, unless the japanese can rein
force their garrison there by sea,
Akyab may soon be taken by COM
bined attacks by land and water.
And that, in turn, may be a mere
rehearsal for a great British expe-
dictionary force against Rangoon, the
port-metropolis which guards the
entrance to the Irrawaddy Valley.
1t is perhaps significant that, for
the past week or more, large scale
British and American air squadrons
have Systematically bombed all the
principal japanese airflelds in Burma.
This would be the normal softening-
up process preceding the expedition
airy invasion itself. There are plenty
of troops in India for such venture.
The lettering factor hitherto has
been lack of naval and air supremacy
for the Allies, coupled with a prob
able insufficiency of the enormous
merchant tonnage needed to trans
port and supply big seaborne army.
If those difficulties have been sur
mounted, the reconquest of Burma
may be nearer than has generally
been supposed.
The Japanese apparently are
caught on the horns of dilemma.
Their cumulative losses in naval and
merchant ships suffered during the
past few months must be spreading
their sea power rather thin. Pre-
sumably it is no longer possible for
them simultaneously to concentrate
big fleets in the Indian Ocean and in
the South Pacific. From both sides,
the Allied pressure is growing. 1t
will be interesting to watch what the
japanese high command will do to
counter this tWOfOld threat to their