Evening star., 1942-02-19

specific disposition of our armed
forces.
One Senator, for example, wants
to send an expedition Ito rescue
Macarthur" So do we all. Nothing
would be likely to make greater
popular appeal, and many citizens
are likely to think that a Senator
who urges such step must know
what he is talking about, and that
the Government is deliberately
leaving Gen. Macarthur to perish
when he might be saved.
1t may be worth while to point
out, therefore, that a direct and
immediate movement Of troops to
the Philippines is hardly possible.
1t is estimated that the japanese
have 1000 men in Luzon. For us
to send half that number there. with
all the heavy equipment and sup
plies Of a modern army, would re-
quire 100000 tons Of merchant ship
ping, which means about $50 ordi-
nary size merchant ships.
Would Require Whole Fleet.
From Pearl Harbor to Manila Is
1900 miles, or about 400 hours
steaming at the speed that such b
convoy could be expected to make
For approximately three-fourths OF
this time the convoy would be with
in the radius Of action of enemy
aircraft stationed in their scat
tered island bases; during the whole
of its passage, 1t would be subject
to attack by enemy surface vessels
and submarines. 1t would require
the whole of the United States Pa
cific Fleet to escort it and even then
its safety could not be assured from
attacks by day and night, desper-
ately driven home with no thought
but to get bomber torpedo hits on
the troopships.
There would be no means Of CIV
ing the convoy air protection except
by the use of carrier-borne aircraft
and considering the enormous area
of sea which such a convoy would
cover, it would be absolutely impos-
sible for the "a squadrons, which
form the total Of our carrier-b borne
strength, to give continuous protec-
ton to such . vast assemblage OF
ships day and night for over two
weeks, even If those squadrons were
all fighters. And II they were all
fighters, our carriers would have
no bombers with which to strike
back at the Japanese ships or
island bases.
Air Support Is Vital.
We need hardly proceed further
with this examination since the
convoy would hardly get any far
ther. 1t would represent simply a
holocaust of the flower of American
youth, to say nothing of throwing
away 100000 tons of shipping at a
moment when every ton Of such
shipping is almost worth its weight
in gold.
We have had to learn the hard
way that no movement of ships or
troops on the surface Of the earth,
whether by land or sea, can hope to
succeed unless it can be given ade-
quate air support. Air support means
not only planes but base+whether
land bases or floating bases Until
we are ready with the air element
to support any surface enterprise we
had better not undertake the surface
enterprise. The loss of the Prince
OF Wales and Repulse should be a
sufficient reminder on this point;
we need not throw away 100000
American troops to have 1t further
demonstrated to us.
But now, another Senator is talk
ing still different point Of view.
He is talking about the possible need
Of bringing back our fleet to defend
our shores from attack. He does not
say from what sort Of attack; 80
far the only attack with which we
have been even menaced is a pos
sible stray shell from the small
caliber gun of an enemy submarine.
There is nothing, Of course, to pre-
vent the enemy from sending ar