Evening star., 1942-09-03
Victory Hints
Shifting Of
initiative
Repulse Of Jops
At Milne Boy
Is RevuIuoted
Ry GEORGE WELLER,
oy OEohoL "ELAIh,
War CORRESPONDENT of The Star and
CHICAGO Daily News.

Sept. 3.-The Japanese repulse in a
landing attempt at Milne Bay, which
has relieved Australian fears of in
vasion and stimulated American
pleasure at the first sharp check TO
Jap land forces in the Southwest
Pacific zone, now is being quietly
In military discussion
whose aim is to bring this victory
into proper perspective.
What Australian newspapers head
line as Major Defeat for Japs" is
still treated in competent quarters
with temperate satisfaction.
While Australian and American
searching parties armed with mod
ern tommy guns $50 dearly needed
In Malaga and the Philippines) track
scattered members of a Japanese
naval landing force-its members
distinguishable by the anchor on
their helmets-through the aisles OF
Milne Bays feather -duster palms
and high jungle above them, the
dimensions of the Japanese setbacks
are beginning to assume sharper, II
somewhat more modest, proportions.
The most sanguine comment
available to your correspondent
seems to interpret the Illustration
of the landing attempt as a sign
that the initiative, hitherto almost
purely japanese in the land move
ments in this zone, is now possibly
shifting to Gen. Douglas Macarthur.
But proof that the initiative is yet
ours still Is lacking. At Milne Bay.
the Japanese simply bit off more for
the first time than they could swal-
low and were obliged to expel a
peppery morsel. This error in reck-
oning does not, in all quarters, seem
to merit the journalistic descrip-
ton of major defeat"
In attacking Milne Bay In the
same style as they recently attacked
both the Buna- Coma -Kokoda area
and the three islands northwest
from Darwin, in Arafura Sea, the
Japs calculated badly. The tall,
| thick palms of the Lever Bros
| two cocoanut oil plantations con-
cealed deadlier opposition, and more
of 1t, than the Japanese had reck-
oned.
Forces Concealed.
Thick, overlying clouds had con-
cealed from their reconnaissance
aircraft-as it did several times just
prior to your correspondents visit,
when Nipponese scouts buzzed
angrily with helpless curiosity above
the ud-hung hills-what unman-
ageablet forces they were so lightly
intending to, devour. -.
/ In the Buna Coma area, as well
as In the three islands Of Arafura
! Sea, the Japs had been able to carry
out stealtfy studies on the ground
itself, beforehand, with their officers.
Not SO at Milne Bay, where the
Americans and Australians were ale
ready on the ground, led by vet
eran brigadier OF the New Guinea
forces, who prepared the ground
for Maj Gen. Cyril Albert Cloves.
| Gen. Cloves name, first men,
toned in connection with Milne
Bay, reveals his entrance into the
scene dominated by the Port Mores-
by command. Time may eventually
disclose the name of the veteran
New Guinea force officer who de-
signed the Milne Bay defense
scheme which the Japs found to be
a trap barely in time to rescue the
main body of their forces.
| Attempt to Get Passages.
| The Milne Bay attempt, in
terpreted as a blow at Port Moresby
itself, certainly had that aspect.
But actually it was rather an at
tempt, by seizing the airdrome built
by American engineers at Milne
Bay, to dominate the north-and-
south running passages between
New Guinea and the Solomons.
While on the map, the water in
crosses seem broad, actually there
are only two comfortably navigable
for deep-water ships-on, the west
ern passage, near New Guinea,
sometimes known as China Strait,
and another, the eastern passage,
less used.
Japan tried twice to get control
of the Eastern passage-once dyna-
mically, by sea battle, once statically,
by establishing temporary base.
The dynamic attempt ended in the
American victory of the Coral Sea
battle, off Misima Island; the static
attempt concluded when the Japa-
nese abandoned their seaplane base
on sheltered Deboyne Isnand, near
Misima.
America sacrificed the carrier
Lexington to make useless this jap
anese attempt to get south of the
Solomons and control the New
1dAliCd pdoodsc.
Get Away CheapIy.
Breaking the news of the Solo,
mons defeat to the japanese people
must be still further postponed by
the Jap war lords because Milne
Bay has failed to be baggea, as ex-
pected, as a face-saver. But con-
sidering the extent of the Japs'
blunder, and their bold operation.
warships without mentionable in
reference from Gen MacArthurs
sea-borne forces, Jap Premier Gen.
Hideki Tojos jungle troops seem to
have got away cheaply with their
experiment.
An airdrome was the prize but it
could not be seized by parachutists.
like those at Palembang and Koe-
pang, because the Australians and
Americans were masters of the air.