The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-16
Way For America Clear Ahead

it's second year Of war, Navy Sec
rotary Knox announced that the
United States fleet, largest in the
world, had been doubled in the
last II months, ano now totals BIT
fighting ships The rate of growth
was so great that it would total
1888 wa,ships in two more weeks,
he said.
Among the new warships built
in the II months were 40 aircraft
carriers of all sizes The United
States may now have % battle
ships, al least twice as many as
are avalla lie to japan.
So great is the preponderance
of United States fleet strength, and
SO rapidly IS it growing, that mill
tary experts at Washington see the
day approaching when the Allies,
with their superiority in the air,
will be able to sweep Japan from
the seas and destroy the founda-
ton of her sprawling empire.
A year ago United States forces
on Guadalcanal were just leaving
behind them their period of great
doubt, when they hung on by their
eyelashes under nightly shellings
and daily bombiags and the Tokyo
express ran down from the north
ern Solomons almost nightly to re-
inforce the enemy.
Gen. Douglas Macarthur Aus
tralians and Americans were still
hammerlng at Buna in the painful
New Guinea campaign.
Island hocping ans jungle slash
ing, it was clear, were going to
be slow, costly and bloody roads
to Tokyo.
But on Nov. 20 of this year a
new phase OF Pacific strategy open
ed up with the landing of United
States marines and soldiers in the
Gilbert islands wit. the support Of
powerful naval task forces.
The conquest of Tarawa in the
Gllberts is reported to have been
the toughest fight in marine his
tory'-tne heaviest previous toll in
the history the heaviest previous
toll in the history OF the United
States was at Scissors, France, in
the first World war when marine
units Of the second division lost
70 per cent of their men in killed,
wounded and Inissing-but it may
nevertheless open one of the easiest
roads to Tokyo.
The campaign in the central Pa
cific beginning al Tarawa, Maxim
and Abemama, opens a shorter
and more direct route toward the
far Pacific .
At least seven major japanese
bases dot the chain Of islands ex-
tending westward from the Gilberts
to the Philippines, but campaign
along that 2,5O0-miIe road, support
ed by predominant naval and air
power on the offensive raises the
possibility o. outflanking, bypass
ing and neutrallzing many of them.
Rabaul in New Britain, which
has appeared 80 formidable an OBJ
jective, also may be left dangling
| by itself. Even Truk in the Caro-
lines, the most important Japa-
nese base in the chain, might be
so hammered and threatened from
\ several sides as 10 become useless
to the enemy.
\ Wake island, off to the side,
held by few marines for 10 days
in 1911, again may fly the Amer
lean flag and play a role in a
f l a n k ing operation. Similarly,
Guam eventually may be recap
tured to advsnce the aerial and
fleet umbrella into a strategic po-
sition.
The japanese island of Marcus
in d-Pacific, 1000 miles from
Tokyo, already twice raided by
: American task forces. is another
important DIN point either guard
ing the advance toward the Phil
ippines or o., the line of a main
drive to Japan
Operations proceeding westward
from the Gilberts to the Marshalls
to the CaroIines may be consid.
cred as a drive back to the Phil.
,ppines (where another major cam
paign would have to be fought
with the objective of retaking the
islands either as base for attack
on Japan itself or as position
from which the east coast of China
might be opened up.
Or they may be regarded as
establishing protecting flank FOL
mighty armada of aircraft car
! riers and thousands CT other ships
in a direct attack on Japan.
{ In either case, Japan's commu'
nications with her newIy-won south.
I ern empire-the Netherlands East