Evening star., 1942-01-23
New Guinea Under Fire

IN6W SuIn0O OnQSI TIIe
The huge island Of New Guinea is
beginning to feel the fury of the jap
anese onset. Almost continental in
size, it extends just south of the
Equator for nearly 1900 miles and
is natural bulwark to Australia,
from whose northern extremity it is
separated by only 100 miles of island
and reef-Studded water-the cele-
brated Torres Strait. Indeed, this
protecting shield is continued by
chain of islands extending south
eastward another 1,500 miles. Those
islands are all part of the British
Empire except New Caledonia, near
the end of the chain, which is Free
French. The eastern half of New
Guinea itself is British. the western
half being part of the Netherlands
Indies.
Intensely tropical, undeveloped ex-
cept at few coastal points, and in
habited by savage tribes, New Guinea
is scantily defended and is thus a
tempting prey for Japanese aggres-
sion. Already both ends of the island
are under attack. For the past week
the chief Dutch base on the island
of Amboina has been steadily bombed
by japanese air squadronS, while the
last few days have witnessed mass
air attacks on the few towns and
airfieldS on the British end, includ-
ing the capital, Rabaul.
Great is Australia's alarm. Prime
Minister John Curtin has announced
that the japanese threat to the COM
monwealth is nearer, clearer, and
deadlier" than ever before, adding:
Anybody in Australia who fails to
perceive the immediate menace this
attack constitutes for Australia must
be lost to all reality" So grave is
the situation that the sending of
Australian reinforcements to other
parts of the Empire repeatedly has
stopped, while the recall of crack
Australian air squadrons and pilots
from Britain, North Africa and the
Near East is contemplated. The
people of Australia did not need
General Tojos recent threat to crush
them without mercy to make them
realize that they were in deadly peril
Australia long has been a coveted
prize for japanese imperiaIiSts, who
have made no secret of their desire
to conquer that vast continent and
fill it with their migrating millions.
Should New Guinea and its island
dependencies, east and west, fall into
japanese hands, the position of Aus
tralia would be most serious. Its
normal sea communications with
both Britain and the United States
would be severed, and its almost
uninhabited northern coast would
lie open to attack Australia's hold
upon this vast region centerS in the
naval and air base at Port Darwin.
The only land route runs through
more than 1000 miles of semi-desert
country between the tropical north
ern coast and the settled portions
OF Australia on the opposite sides of
the continent. If the main sea route
through Torres Strait should be cut,
1t would be almost impossible to
send sufficient troops and supplies
overland to cope with japanese in
vaSion aimed at Port Darwin. And
once that habitable strip was in
japanese hands to the northern edge
of the central desert, no army of any
size could move across those water
less wastes to drive the invaders out
again. The reconquest of Northern
Australia would have to be made by
sea, which could not be done until
New Guinea and the Netherlands
Indies were freed from Japanese
control.
Such considerations will show the
Importance of the latest phase of
Japan's general offensive, which has
now spread until it covers, actually
or potentially, the whole South Pa
cific area. This is indeed a bid for
empire which must, at all costs, be
met before it becomes dread reality.