Evening star., 1943-08-23

states have NkW
un d erestimated David Lawrence.
the airplane productive capacity OF
the japanese" and that they have
shown "a somewhat astounding
ability to replace their losses"
g. That the reported production
OF airplanes by the japanese at 75O
month was minimum" figure.
4. That the japanese are keeping
their airplane carrier forces in
northern waters. nearer to the Japa-
nese mainland and farther from the
South Pacific, where there has been
a tendency to avoid naval battle of
any proportions in recent weeks.
Other Impressions Gained.
TIA foregoing does not correspond
with the impressions the public has
received from the headlines in re-
built up that Japan has been vast
ing her airplane strength and that
war of sttrition is being fought
against which she cannot possibly
hold her own because OF our superior
air power.
But the facts show that the Jap
anese are building planes at re-
spectacle figure and if out of the 75C
month any sizeable proportion is
among the heavy bombers, Japan
has it at her disposal to keep Amer
ican air forces far from the japanese
mainland for months; perhaps a
long, long time to come.
Is America allocating 750 heavy
long range bombers to the Pacific
battle zone? Recently American
military commanders begged in vain
to be allowed to have only one
months production of heavy bomb
ers for the Pacific area.
If one were to take an outline
map OF North and South America
and superimpose on it the japanese
Islands in the South Pacific, North
Pacific and the japanese mainland
one would see how successful the
japanese have been thus far in
keeping the war thousands and
thousands of miles away from their
homeland.
War far From Toxic.
Thus. putting Toxic at the same
spot that Washington occupies, the
map would show the northernmost
Japanese islands, known as the
Kurile group, to be way up in Lab
rador. AS for the Solomon Islands,
where the forces of the United
States have fought so bravely and
at such a heavy sacrifice of naval
ships and men; these outposts in
the South Pacific where we have
huge forces would be found on the
new map to be below the equator
somewhere in the middle of Brazil.
The average japanese can sit at
home, therefore, and exult over the
fact that the war in the South
Pacific Is nearly 1000 miles away
from him and that America is being
kept busy losing ships and men far
far away from the japanese home
land AS for the North Pacific, the
weather, especially fog, makes it use
less for military operations except
for Two months or so in the sum-
mer, and another autumn season
is near at hand without the United
States being able to bomb Japan
from the Aleutians as has so Otter
been enthusiastically predicted by
advocates of that doubtful strategy
No Nearer Bases.
The American forces have driven
the japanese out of Attu and Kiska
but naval and military experts have
never quite understood what Japan
had In mind in that assault anyway
and 1t may we'll have been just a
diversionary movement to keep q
substantial number of airplanes and
ships OF the United States dispersed
for year or more.
So Japan has kept us busy in the
South Pacific and the North Pacific
and we are no nearer than we were
in December, 1941-when the attack
on Pearl Harbor came-to acquiring
sny landing places or air bases near
enough to bomb Japan from the
water. Also, Japan has now built
up her airplane carrier strength tc
approximate ours, so an assault
directly on the Philippines or Japan
from the mid-Pacific seems at the
moment still in the far-away stage
which must wait more naval strength
and perhaps the addition of the
British feet, with all its carriers.
The United States Navy is fight
ing the Pacific battle alone anc
with only part of its total strength
the rest being diverted TO the NORTH
Atlantic and even to the Mediterrs
hean to assist the British feet ir
the European theaters of war.
Reason for Predictions.
Meanwhile, the japanese are con.
solidating their positions, building
more airplane carriers, more air
planes and, notwithstanding tn,
splendid work of such few subma
rines as We have In the Pacific
Japan manages 10 keep her cargo
fleets going constantly to ports 3,a0t
TO 1000 miles away--to the Neither
lands East Indies, Singapore ane
Burma.
The war in the Pacific goes slowly
indeed, and, now that the Navy ha!
disclosed some important facts, on,
sees why Vice Admiral Horne, dep
uty chief of naval operations, pre-