Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-06
South Pacific Front

South Pacific Front
The virtual end OF organized Jap
aneSe resistance in Southeastern New
Guinea, consequent upon the fall of
Buna and General MacArthur's as
Surance that the position of the
remnant at nearby Sananadra Point
is hopeless" logically raises the
larger question of the entire South
Pacific combat area.
For nearly two months an in
tensive struggle has ragged along
those Papuan beachheads as COM
bined American and Australian
forces have rooted out the we'll
entrenched and fanatical defenders,
literally Jap by Jap" as an Ameri-
can officer recently described those
operations. Some 800 miles to the
eastward, parallel battle of attri-
ton has been fought against some
10000 japanese on the island OF Qua
dalcanal, cut off from reinforcements
by our vigilant sea and air patrols,
short of munitions and food, and
suffering from disease, yet equally
resolved to resist to the last.
The character of those two strug-
giles may give us some measure of
the task ahead. 1t should be realized
that, for months, we have been bat
tering at Japan's most advanced
outposts. To prolong their resist
ance, the Japanese high command
has lost or risked probably 100000
men, 1000 airplanes and a great
volume OF shipping, ranging from
battleships to large transports. This
is in line with japanese strategy,
which is averse to giving ground and
shortening lines. 1t is thus to be
expected that every step of an Allied
advance through the maze of islands
which the japanese acquired in their
southwark rush year ago will be
defended with equal tenacity.
The ultimate objective OF such an
Allied advance is Rabaul, the main
japanese naval and air base, on the
northern tip of New Britain. Rabaul
lies 400 miles from our conquests in
Papua and nearly 700 miles from
Guadalcanal. geographically, the
latter route is much the more diff
cult. The japanese have established
at least half a dozen bases in the
rugged chain of the Northern Solo,
mons, and each must be blasted out
in turn before the final drive on
Rabaul from that angle can be
essayed.
No such multiple obstacles exist
between Papua and Rabaul. The
hrst task is the reduction of Lac and
Salamaua, japanese beachheads up
the New Guinea coast some $50 miles
north of the Buna Coma district from
which they are now being expelled.
No overland attack upon them is
practicable, since the intervening
terrain is trackless mountain and
jungle. Therefore, they must be re-
duced by large expeditionary force
proceeding by sea. We may antici-
pate that such an attack would be
resisted by the full force of japanese
naval and air power. 1t is likewise
probable that the ae-Salamaua
region has been fortified even more
thoroughly than the Buna Coma
area. Thus, its reduction will take
much effort and time.
The investment of Rabaul cannot
therefore be envisaged in the near
future. And even Rabaul is merely
the japanese first line of defense.
The main line of defense against an
attack on Japan from the southwark
lies through the inundated islands
OF the South Central Pacific with it's
key stronghold of Truk, described as
veritable Gibraltar.
All this tends to offset optimistic
forecasts OF a speedy triumph over
Japan like the New Year prediction
OF Admiral Halsey that victory for
the United Nations is due this year.
Whatever may happen to the Euro
pean end of the Axis, Japan looks
like an even tougher opponent.
Winston Churchill was perhaps the
truer prognosticator when he guessed
that the Far East and the Pacific
would witness the wars concluding
phases.