The Wilmington morning star., 1943-08-23
GENERAL.
TAUNTS JAP FLEET
Continued From Page One)

tOOHtIHutu rom rage One)
The general said the Japanese
now have one great weakness.
HE has over-extended himself.
He has an island empire which is
difficult to defend.
1--WE must not delay in taking
advantage of our favorable posi-
ton and keep driving the attack
home We have very definitely
tablished our superiority in every
way.
LAS Kiska fell when Attu was
reduced, so too will the enemy S
other base fall when with strength
we can attack and split him fur
ther."
(The Americans completed the
reconquest of Attu, 1875 miles west
of Kiska, wiping out the japanese
garrison there, last May 80. They
thus passed Japanese held Kis-
ka and made it untenable for the
enemyD
LAS his navy is split, so too are
his army and his air forces split.
':We must keep the offensive in
our hands Every day we prose
cute the war in the Pacific we will
save American blood and kill more
Japs.
every man and woman who
helps turn out the tools of war
is helping shorten it by giving us
the tools to defeat the enemy. 1t
will be a long war, but Kiska prov
ed that the Jap knows when he is
whipped and we know that he will
run"
After inspecting the Japanese in
stallations on Kiska and comment
ing on how effectively they were
placed, General Dewitt later at a
press conference said II am GER
tain that we would have suffered
1000 killed had the enemy elected
to fight to the end
MY first guess is that the Japs
were evacuated by submarine, as
they eattempted to do at Guadalca-
nal when they were whipped. The
heavy midsummer fog helped them
in the Aleutians. The evacuation
began as a well-disciplined maneu-
yer in about mid-June, but it ap-
! parently rapidly deteriorated by
about August into rout.
:. I'VE do not know if the Japs
got back to Japan. The Navy sank
! JIyIoJ n h
. attempted to run the blockade dur
ing the night and in the fog, and
u on several occasions our naval
units fired upon some objects dur
: ing actions.
) The general estimated that the
Kiska Japanese garrison at the
time of United States recapture of
Attu consisted of from $500 to 10,-
900 men. judging from their install
lations.
1T is not unlikely that they used
their 20-some Kiska harbor barges
for the evacuation" he said.
These barges were gone before
July 27.
IF they put into the open sea
bound for Paramushiro, their near
est base Con the northern tip OF
the Kurile islands, 900 miles from
Kiska) their survival chances are
slight.
"They may have used Segula is
Hand off Kiska for staging base.
however. Or they may have trans
ferred to vessels at sea. On July
10, for example, we found four OF
their ships 200 miles off Attu and
destroyed one and damaged anoth-
er before they escaped in the fog
and darkness.'
AS at Attu, there was much am
munition, food stores and guns on
Kiska. Some anti-aircraft guns
and coastal batteries we're in con-
crete positions.
To support his theory that the
Japanese evacuation began with
discipline but ended in confusion,
General Dewitt said that buildings,
guns, trucks and food were de-
stroyed Systematically and well in
some sections of the island.
"Then sudden frenzy seems to
have possessed them," he said
materials of war were left I'm
harmed and buildings were left
standing. Trucks from these areas
: are already transporting our equip
! ment.'
General Dewitt said he believed
5 the evacuation was completed by
August or shortly thereafter.
"Anti-aircraft fire was heavy as
late as July 26,'' he added.
But Col. Robert T. Frederick re
ported that he found opened Japa
nese milk tins in which the mill
was still sweet. He said he be
, lieved a few Japanese were or
Kiska not more than "a hours be
fore our troops landed
During his tour, General Dewitt
visited the enemy submarine bast
, which, he said, 'the 11th Air Force
! under command of Maj. Gen. Will
. liam o. Butler reduced"
''In the base were three destroy
ed midget submarines such as th'
Japs used at Pearl Harbor. Thi
base was abandoned months agt
I when it was made untenable," h,
said.
II General Dewitt visited Japa
nese shrine where the enemy hae
left little god. 1t was in ont
of the buildings which had servee
as U. S. Navy weather observa