The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-18
interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War an,I, :

Pending Japanese reaction
seizure of the Arawe peninsuI
beachhead on New Britain islaas
by General Macarthur forcas
Il e full significance of that nsH,
ard bold stab IN the Southwestsrn
Pacific is unfatncmable
Taken by itself. the Arawe ms;
ton adds up inso only a desjrab1.
diversion move. or an importsn,
protective step if the hold be 4 ra'
tdlned for further and larger pe,,s
srations the Allied commander hss
r mind. AS d base for a land
orive at Rabaul it has definite
ard seemingly pl ohibitlve hand.
csps.
Dispatches from the scene nou
estimate that there are close ~
10000 japanese troops on the bis
island. Whether any stable paH
OF that powerful garrison will he
concentrated in an effort TO throw
MacArthur's men at AraWe bacv
INTO the sea ma! not be apparent
~! some time. Ii would take DAYS
or weeks, even without the clearly
Indicated Nipponese inferiority in
s1l power on New Britain. to as.
semble the men and equipment for
such an attempt,
When and if it does come Il
must reckon also with American
naval guns as we'll as consolidated
shore defenses unless a japanese
naval task force in considerable
strength moves down to accept the
Macarthur challenge.
And that, more than anythjng
else, is the burning desire of the
naval forces under Admiral Halsey
ahc Admiral Nunlitz. 1t is a rea.
snnable conclusion that both forces
have been deploved with that DOS.
s'bility-and hope-in mind.
While the Arawe operation as
get, therefore, ettords no clue to
how, where end when it is to be
followed up on the Macarthur blue.
pint or what the enemy can or
Viii do to meet tn e increased
threat to the Rebaul capstone of
his Southwestern Pacific defense
arch, it does reveal a cheering ef.
ficiency in organization, ground.air
sea coordination. and staff work.
| Fuller reports by press eye wit
resses stress the srnoot1ness with
which the operation was carried
cut by all arms.
Considered only as a dress re.
tearsal for many future and fay
greater scope similar over seas
lunges that must come in the Pa
cific theater, the Arawe test wa,
reassuring. It achieved surprise
and took full advantage Of it
p, omptly although the width and
depth to which it is to be exploited
is not yet clear. Some Of the les
sons so recently learned the hard
way at Tarawa in the Gllbe"s
were certainly woven into the
Arawe operation to minimize cas-
ualties.
1t is noticeable that press ac-
counts from Macarthur headquar-
ten S stress the value of the Arawe
heachhead as affording control
site dominating the southern en-
frances to the narrow ST. ats that
separate New Britain's southwest
tip from Huon peninsula in New
Guinea. That suggests it may have
been established as an air-land-
sea thanking base to cover conten-
plated closer ranged landings IN
the Cape Gloucester vicinity. Aus
tralian troops of MacArthur's con-
mand are gradually mopping up
the Huon springboard.
Arawe's effect on native opinion
in the Nipponese conquest zone,
coming on top Of Japanese loss Oh
the Gilbert group to American
arms, must be considerable as
word of it spreads. And II WIZ
spread, and quickly. passed along
IN ways no Nieponese Occupation
authorities can silence.