Evening star., 1942-03-18
AnericanTroops
Take Australian
Battle Stations
Gen. Brett Declares
Largest Attacks Can
Now Be RepuIsed
By tho Associated Press.


officially described as most sub
stantial" in number, moved into
battle stations In Australia today
as Gen. Douglas Macarthur took
over the Allied supreme COM
mand to meet a threatened Jap
anese invasion Of the island con-
tinent.
Dispatches from Melbourne said
the Americans were scattered to
camps throughout Australia's vast
domain Of nearly 10000 square
miles. At some points they were
quartered alongside Australian
troops.
The British Exchange Telegraph
news agency said Gen. Macarthur
arrived Yesterday at Alice Springs,
midway point on the long defense
highway between Darwin and
Southern Australia. and was ex-
pected to confer with government
officials in Canberra, the capital,
soon.
Troops Still Coming.
1t was disclosed that American re-
Inducements OF troops and air forces
have been arriving at irregular in
tervals for several weeks and are
still coming in a stream.
Besides urgently needed fast pur-
suit and attack planes were pilots
and the skilled mechanical crews to
keep them flying.
The ships bringing them have been
docking at numerous ports. from
which the men and su, plies we're
sent inland to huge camps where
they were comfortably housed and
fed.
Triumvirate in Charge.
Besides Gen. Macarthur, who as
sumes responsibility for the de-
fense OF Australia and also general
command of all United Nations
operations ashore. aloft and asea in
the Southwest Pacific east Of Sing
apore. are:
1t. Gen. George H. Brett.
whose assignment to command
the air forces of the United
Nations in the Australia New
Zealand area and as Gen. Mac
Arthur's deputy supreme COM
mander was announced today by
Prime Minister John Curtin.
United States Vice Admiral
Herbert F. Leary who has been
in command of the Allied sea
forces in the Anzac zone for more
than . month.
This topflight American military
triumvirate infused the common
wealth with new optimism.
will Hold Australia
Gen. Brett predicted that Aus
tralia could be held against the
largest scale Japanese attack, He
declared that all possible jumping
of points for such an invasion
were being watched and said Aus
tralia was being supplied with as
many aircraft as possible.
Gen. Brett promised, when we
start rolling we shall keep on roll
ing. Nothing within reason has been
refused from Washington He said
Australia was being given ma
chimes as rapidly as we can get
them" then added:
Il have not lost faith in the Aus
tralians and they are not going to
lose Australia They may have to
take a little drubbing. So did Eng
land. And England is still there" ,"
Mr.. Curtin looked beyond the
smashing of any japanese attack
and, in acclaiming Gen. Macarthur
and the American ground and air
forces here, foresaw an eventual
Allied counterdrive from Australia S
shores.
The new commander takes over
in an hour of peril which was ac-
centuated by the Prime Minister'S
announcement today that there will
be no racing. organized sports or
motion picture performances for
the duration of the emergency.
Flew in Army Plane.
The 62-year hero of Bataan
with his wife, 4-year-old son and
a dozen members of his staff made
the fight to Australia through the
dangerous aerial war zone from the
Philippines in a United States Army
plane-a 2,000-mile trip by direct
route to the nearest Australian base
at Darwin
Gen. MacArthur's arrival does
not mean that American forces are
pulling out of the Philippines,
declared 1t. Col. Lloyd Lehrbas,
Army press officer, in Melbourne.
"The United States Army pro-
poses to continue that fight. We
have been holding the japanese IN
the Philippines, and we intend to
continue holding them"
While the Toxic radio seized on
Gen. MacArthur's departure from
Bataan as "treacherous abandon
ing of a sinking ship" the United
Nations took a tremendous uplift
from the knowledge that the most
successful Allied commander Of the
war will now be able to direct large
(See AUSTRALIA, Page A-6)