Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-19
Move North
By M'Arthur
Fond Hope
u. s. Successes Forecast
Pacific Offensive
BY PAUL MALLON

W Inc launching OF an AfneTl-
can offensive IN the Pacific is
forecast by the destruction of
japanese air carrier power
there. Recapture of Wake Island
or Macarthur move north
ward is the most fondly hoped
for step.
The JapS have now lost nearly
all the nine aircraft carriers
accredited to them by James
fighting ships. and couple
more they secretly built. Gone
for sure are the big Akagi (27,-
900 tons), the Syokaku $4,000,
the Soryu 100000 and the large
Ryukaku (unlisted).
These flat-tops were scratched
from the war by American air.
craft in the Coral Sea and at
Midway. Little doubt exists
that the Kaga t27000) went
down at Midway along with
either the Hiryu 10000 tons)
or Ryuzyp 10000.
THUS all their long-range car
l. rlers are gone, except the
Zuikaku (14,000 tons) and pos
sibly one or two more, the build
ing of which they kept secret.
Aside from these. their seafight-
ing air strength is limited to IL
or Is converted merchant ships
which carry only about Is or 20
planes.
Against these we have six big
flat-tops, mostly 10000 tons or
over, and perhaps one or two
new ones the Japs do not know
about.
A significant naval lesson has
been learned in these battles.
The Japs performed wonderfully
we'll as long as they remained
near land and used land-based
planes for auxiliary. protection
Undo China, Malaga, Singapore,
Dutch East Indies, Philippines).
But when they started stray
ing out into the broad Pacific,
they went bye-bye,.
THIS lesson applies to us in
l. fighting our way back across
the Pacific to points where we
will encounter their land based
planes. The counterattack will
not be easy.
Also we cannot sail right into
TOXIC, because the main Japa-
neSe battleship line is still with
out serious damage (they no
doubt outnumber us in this re-
spect. Her cruiser strength has
been crippled. but not severely.
Thus while the way is opened
for us to make some spectacular
blows in the Pacific, we are
faced with obvious limitations.
Certainly, the possibility of
large aircraft raids on our West
Coast, on the Panama Canal,
Hawaii, Midway, is, however,
sharply diminished.
THESE fights suggest also the
l. top seadog of the future will
he a flat-top with adequate de-
lenses from bombs and torpe-
does.
Their limited maneuverabilty
makes them the easiest targets
on the seas now, but at the
same time they have proved the
most powerful striking force
a1oat when their planes are in
action.
CONGRESS has been hooting
~ land rightly at the admin
iStrative branch of government
for failing 10 create a single au-
thority 10 make final decisions
in the rubber and gas messes,
respectively.
But if Congress will look
around inside itself il will dis
cover that the rubber problem
has been handled by no less than
seven different investigating
committees.
The House interstate COM
MERGE committee, the House
coinage committee and the Pat
man small business committees
have gone into the matter in the
lower branch.
In the Senate, the Truman
committee, the agriculture SUBJ
committee, the Senate banking
subcommittee, and the military
affairs committee have lent a
hand.
MEANWHILE Senator Ma
A'A loney, who helped TO expose
the phony Ickes gas shortage
last year, is about 10 get some
money from the Senate audit
and control committee 10 look
into the irubber-gaS matter.
However, the administrative
branch is still far ahead of the
congressman in red tape on the
subject. as il has 20 or more
bureaus directly or indirectly
investigating or advising what
should be done.
After calling az the White
House Senator Gillette has pro-
posed a bill 10 create a single
rubber authority which is as
Sumed 10 have official backing.
GONE more concrete evidence
u that the French will hold
their fleet against the Nazis at
all costs recently has been re-
celved within this government.
Also the French people have
not lost their sympathy for the