Evening star., 1943-02-04
Navy Needs
Breaks in
New Bottle
Foees on Enemy
Better Supplied
On SEQ and in Air
by DAVID LAWRENCE.

ny DAVID LAWRENCE.
The American people may wei
pray for victory in the Pacific. Fo,
many do not know that the United
States Navy Is outnumbered ane
that our Air Forces are pittee
against more planes and better
located bases than are those o1
Japan.
The decision to favor the Euro.
pean theater Of war as against thu
Pacific Is Of abstract importance
only up to the point where the
American people begin to under.
stand that the losses being suffered
In the Pacific would be much less
If the United States forces were
better supplied.
The cold-blooded decision to wal,
until after Hitler Is beaten" before
sending the American Army, Navy
and Marine units in the Pacific the
reinforcements they deserve to ge,
will stand up before public opinion
only as long as American forces are
victorious and can keep up the
record of victories with relatively
small losses.
But In naval war the breaks are
not always on one side. The Amer
ican Navy has been fortunate and
skillful thus far. The requirements
Of war at sea are such that naval
men 60 into battle not always when
they find they must.
Still on Defensive.
Thus the big engagement now
going on In the Pacific appears
definitely not to be OF America's 8
choosing as yet. The time had not
come for . full-scale offensive by
our naval forces. The United States
Navy is stin on defensive basis,
for ever since last August when
the invasion on the Solomon Is
lands was begun In order to pro-
tect the Australian Hawaii supply
line, our troops and airmen and
warships have not ventured to 70
beyond these islands and have in
stead been absorbed in warding OF
repeated attempts by the Japanese
the recapture lost ground.
This. in = broad sense. satisfies
the Japanese people because If they
can keep the American feet oc-
cupied indefinitely among island
bases nearly 5000 miles away from
the mainland Of Japan there can be
no lowering Of morale inside Japan.
It Is known, on the other hand, that
the American naval experts want to
see : large-scale offensive started
and they are anxious to get ct the
japanese mainland BY Z series Of
steps that close IN from more than
one side.
This Is natural strategy. but It
cannot Be achieved without the ac-
QUESTION Of more air bases and these
In turn cannot be captured unless
an abundance Of flying fortresses
and fighter planes are made avail
able to dominate areas within which
our naval units and invading troops
may safely operate.
AZ this Is written the word Is
given out that the two navies are
engaged In just feeling out proc
ess" and that there have been some
losses on both sides. It would be
disheArtening, indeed, II the Amer
lean Navy found It's prosress to-
ward the main objective blocked BY
the results Of another naval en-
gagement which, while leaving u
with the Solomons intact, stu does
not clear the way to IN immediate
assault on Truk, the japanese Pearl
Harbor. or wake Island and other
strategic bases from which the Japa-
nese can operate their numerically
superior, though QuAhtAtively In
feriof. airplanes.
sDreakSs Needed New.
It takes only one hit from . dive
bomber 10 disable . battleship or Z
cruiser and - long - the Japanese
have more airplanes In action thar
ne have, the American people may
well pray that ths United statea
Navy may get more d the ''breaks'
than the enemy.
It has been disclosed by the Presa.
dent that Japan had 5000 planes q
the beginning Of this war. Esti.
mates Of her losses run up to 500
but her requirements must have
been considerable. too. Japan hal
plenty of fuel available at nearby
bases. Those bases when captured
are worth q dozen aircraft car.
riers. Unless the American troops
airmen and naval units in the Pa
cific get q larger share Of America!
airplane and ship production thar
has been allotted, the future may
bring some uneasy days and some
serious losses for which the admin
istration that seems to care NOR
about Europe than the Pacific mus
ultimately take the blame.
The administration has been luck.
thus far that no major defeat ha!
. been suffered In the Pacific since
Pearl Harbor and it is confidentl!
. hoped the luck will continue. bu'
the truth is the American flag Il
being carried by units that face az
enemy, better supplied with ships
planes and bases. This inequality
moreover, is deliberately maintained
because of a mistaken theory tina
most all Of our production must b.
concentrated in Europe.
The Japanese-American war ma.
be prolonged years beyond its du
date for ending because Of this mis-
taken concept which at least unit
racoptly has Guided the Roosevelt