Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-04-22

military achieve David Lawrence.
ment, will the answer be the same?
First OF all, every plane OF the Is
was lost. The material loss of the
planes Is insignificant. but the ques-
ton that will be posed is whether If
the same number Of bombers had
been sent direct to Chinese bases a
better military result could have
been obtained.
The story is told that the AVG'S
the volunteer group OF American
flyers In China-were chagrined to
learn that after they had begged
for bombers for many months is
were sent to China and all but one
was crashed.
Follow-Up Lacking.
1t has been said that no advance
arrangements were made to land al
specified points for fear OF leakage
of the news ahead of time, though
the official announcement indicates
that failure to land at Chinese
fields may have been due in some
way to the uncertainty concerning
the time of departure from the air
craft carrier.
In military sense, the damage to
Toxic was slight. Unless air raids
can be repeated they are not likely
to be of much military importance.
The argument is made that Japan
nevertheless was compelled to stag
nate large number of fighter
planes for defense and to use
up raw materials in antiaircraft
weapons and that all this had a
military value.
But the Japanese know as we'll as
anybody on our side that If we
depend again on aircraft carriers
to launch attacks against the jap
anese mainland we cannot do 80
until the Allied navies control the
sea lanes approaching Japan. The
chance Of . repeat performance,
therefore, Il not likely for some time
because We do not have any aircraft
carriers to spare for such hazardous
journeys today and because jap
Anese reconnaissance Is doubtless
better today, 10 that such a feat
would require considerable fleet
protection by our Navy.
The raid on Toxic can be classed,
therefore, rs a stunt token affair
designed for its psychological effect
rather than its military value, and
as such may have to be judged by
military technicians. Stunts play
part, but they are not usually worth
the risks unless they are integrated
IN = well-sustained military plan.
Executions Show Barbarity.
There is an after effect, however,
which the Japanese may not have
counted on. Their horrible execu-
ton OF prisoners Of war who fell
from the raiding planes stamps the
Japanese government and military
men as lacking in the chivalrv of
war-a trait whose presence is as
ISOLATED with civilized peoples Just
as its absence Is associated with
barbaric nations.
The Japanese have long wished to
be regarded as equals of the white
man. but their execution of our
flyers will disqualify them from such
place among the peoples of the
earth.
News Of the execution will travel
throughout the world to all peoples,
and to our armed forces in par
ticular. 1t will intensity the bitter
ness and it will increase the hatred
1t will focus attention on the i'm
portance OF concentrating on Japan
SO that the military leaders who
were responsible for the atrocity
may in turn be executed when the
United Nations win the ultimate
victory.
Could Demand Offenders,
One OF the conditions of sur
render by the Japanese may we'll be
the handing over in advance of all
the Japanese military men who had
any part in the execution of the
American flyers. History cannot let
1t be recorded that criminals guilty
OF violating the rules of war were
given amnesty. Japan's action will
spur Americans on to greater and
greater effort to achieve victory
over Japan. There will doubtless
be less consideration shown to jap
anese towns and cities when the real
bombing raids begin.
Japan's leaders have made a fatal
mistake, and the raid on Toxic is
more important now in its after
math than in the actual carving
out OF the night itself.
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