The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-07-01
MUNDA OBJECTIVE
IN PACIFIC FIGHT
Seizure of Jap Airfield
Would Deprive Enemy of
Hub Base in SOlOmOns
BY SANDOR S. KLEIN


UNITED Press Staff Correspondent
Washington, July 1.-(UP)-The
new southwest Pacific offensive was
interpreted here today as the be-
ginning of campaign to push the
American front" east of New
Guinea and Australia up to the
equator.
Military experts pointed out that
success of the new operations an
nounced by Gen. Douglas MacAr-
thur would leave the enemy in that
area more or les concentrated in
only three major spots on Bou-
granville Island in the northern Sol
onions; at Rabaul on New Britain
Island. and in the Salamaua-Lae
area of New Guinea. Other Satel-
lite bases not yet involved in the
present campaign exist, but could
hardly expect to survive the fall OF
those three major ones.
On the basis of information thus
far revealed, the new battle area
would appear to be the vast island
studded section of ocean bounded
by the 14Oth parallel on the west
and the 18Oth parallel on the east,
and by the equator on the north
and 10 degrees latitude on the south.
The new landings at Nassau Bay
on New Guinea, on New Georgia
Island in the Solomons, and on the
Tobriand islands and Woodlark
island give the Allies new 1900
mile front" stretching in almost
straight line from New Guinea
to Funafuti in the Ellice island,
some 1900 miles east of Guadal-
canal.
Best opinion here was that Mac
Arthur was ready to Choke off" Ra-
baul, Bougainville and Salamaua
and thus clear that part of the Pa
cific of major japanese concentra-
lions south of the enemy's major
base at Truk, some $500 miles to
the north.
With those three enemy concen-
trations eliminated, Macarthur then
could choose between thrustS to the
north toward Truk, or more likely,
a campaign to the west and north
west into Japan's stolen empire of
the Dutch East Indies and the
Philippines.
There was no official comment
on the new operations, nor did any
one have anything to say about
MacArthur's assumption of supreme
command of the campaign. Observ-
ers were quick, however, to point
out that it was MacArthur's first
major step in his promised return
to the Philippines. They recalled
that after he arrived in Australia
in the spring of 1912 he vowed that
he would return and drive the
Japanese invader into the Pacific.
The major objective of the new
American campaign in the Solo,
mons is the excellent air field the
Japanese chopped out of New Geor-
gias jungle-lands at Munda. This
field in American hands would pro-
vide an advanced base for any air
support which would have to &C
company an anticipated United
States drive on Bougainville Island.
Military experts here believe that
the Japanese have enough strength
in the Munda area to make
tough fight of it. The bulk OF
the enemys ground forces in the
central Solonons was believed con-
centrated on Munda and at Villa,
another air base on nearby Kolom-
bangara Islands.
Munda has suffered almost $50
separate bombing attacks since last
November and is one of the most
heavily hit islands in the Pacific.
The seizure of Munda would de-
prive the Japanese of the hub OF
their central Solomons system Of
air bases.