Evening star., 1943-10-15
Body Blow at RobouI

The greatest air triumph of the
Allies in the Pacific war was scored
last Tuesday noon at Rabaul, when
an aerial armada of fighter-escorted
bombers, catching the japanese COM
pletely by surprise, blasted into fam
ing ruin that key enemy base. Nearly
200 Japanese planes were destroyed
or damaged and over 100 vessels were
sunk, including three deStroyers, a
submarine and other naval craft.
This astounding feat cost us only five
planes.
The meaning of this body-b blow is
enchanced by the background of re-
cent events. During the past three
months, an Allied pincer movement
has been COMPRISING the flanks of
the japanese position in that region.
With ever -accelerating tempo, enemy
outpoSts in New Guinea and the Gen.
trail Solomons have been wrested
from his grasp. On the very day of
the Rabaul raid the last Japanese
detachments in the New Georgia Is
lands were mopped up, leaving only
Bougainville and Buka to protect
Rabaul on its eastern side. To the
westward, the New Guinea coast op-
posite New Britain island, where
Rabaul is situated, is now firmly in
Allied possession. The way is thus
clear for an Allied descent on that
side.
simultaneously with these land
advances, the Allies have been con-
ducting an effective war of attri-
tion upon japanese naval and air
strength. Two months ago. surprise
raid at the japanese air base at
WeWak, New Guinea, destroyed over
200 planes lined up there on the
field, and subsequent attacks raise
Japanese plane losses there alone to
500. Concurrently, there has been a
heavy drain on Japanese naval, mer-
camille and barge shipping by both
Allied air attacks and naval action.
Now, on top of all this, comes the
devastation of Rabaul itself. Rabaul,
with its splendid harbor and the ex-
tensive shore installations that have
been constructed by the japanese, is
the heart of the whole enemy de-
tense system in the South Pacific.
Should Rabaul fall it would logically
involve the speedy loss or evacuation
OF everything else in this region and
japanese retirement to their main
base at Truk in the Mandated Is
lands, some 300 miles to the north
ward. But this would expose their
new f1anks to Allied attack Ameri-
can naval task forces could more
easily assail japanese outpoSts in the
Gilbert and Marshall Islands, thus
driving deep wedge into the Japa-
nese Mandated area of the Central
Pacific. On the western flank, Mac
Arthur's drive could wipe out the last
unsupported japanese outposts on
Northern New Guinea Once that
was done, new pincers drive could
be started simultaneously from New
Guinea and Northern Australia,
directed at the outer fringe of the
Netherlands Indies.
OF course, it is not impossible that
the japanese high command may
throw in great reinforcements to
save Rabaul and all that it implies.
Yet the limits of such concentration
are indicated by the. Allied threat
from India against Burma and
Malaga, now become imminent with
the ending of the monsoon season
and the release of British and Amer
lean sea power from duty in the
Mediterranean. Japanese strategy
is clearly becoming defensive as the
initiative passes everywhere to the
Allies. Big developments seem to
impend in the Pacific and Far East
ern war theaters.