Evening star., 1943-05-02
Jap pHeadache@
Aleutians Hold Threat
to Homeland
By John Grover,
Associated Press Writer.

ny JOHn grover,
Associated Press Writer.
Obscured by the fog that covers the
North Pacific, grim struggle is going on
for the island highway that links North
America and Asia.
The 180th meridian divides the Eastern
and Western Hemispheres and the Japa-
nese and United States forces with geo.
| metric neatness.
The Japanese advance base is at
Kiska. The farthest west United States
base, so far as known, is in the Andreanof
Island group. The east-west meridian
almost exactly separates them.
This front" is midlink in the chain
Of islands stretching from the Alaskan
mainland to Japan proper. The over
water hops between islands average SO
to 100 miles, with one exception-the big
gap between Attu and Paramushiru,
northernmost of the Japanese Kuriles.
The United States Navy-Army forces
in the Alaska-Aleutia theater have the
advantage of shorter supply lines. 1t is
roughly 1000 miles east to the main
} United States port at Seattle. The ia.
panese have 2,850-mile haul from Yo-
kohama.
United States Better Based.
The United States command has more
and better bases supporting it's spear
head. Dutch Harbor, 465 miles away,
backs up the Andreanofs. The closest
major japanese base is Paramushiru, 76O
miles off.
In addition, the United States has half
dozen major bases in back of Dutch
Harbor, plus an alternate, protected
supply route via the Alcan highway and
Fairbanks
To the south, the distances also favor
the United States. Midway is 1000 miles
away from the Andreanofs. Wake, 1850
miles away, Is the closest Japanese base
to the south, giving American forces the
advantage Of flank interception against
thrust from that sector.
The area of major operations is from
so to SIS degrees north latitude and
stretches for 10 degrees on either side
OF "the line" Here is where the war for
control of the Pacific Island highway is
being waged this spring.
Japanese Persist in Efforts.
Kiska, and Attu to a lesser degree.
| have taken fearful pasting from United
States bombers. The Jap is hanging OH
grimly to precipitous Rat (Kiska) and
Near (Attu) Islands.
Despite bombings, work goes ahead on
the landing field at Kiska. Completed
and usable, it would give the japanese
a roost for land planes. They have here
tofore been restricted to float planes.
Spring and early summer is the season
for fighting in the murky, weather.
breeding Aleutians. At other times it
is a rare day when the soup" lifts
enough for air operations.
| Beyond routine announcements that
Kiska and Attu are being bombed up to
Is times daily, Navy communicates have
made clam seem positively talkative.
There has been no hint of landing opera
tions in the no mans islands" between
Kiska and the Andreanofs.
This Summer May Tell.
The stakes are high. 2OO-mile ad-
vance by United States forces to recap
ture Kiska and Attu would set the Jap
anese back On their heels a thousand
miles east to Paramushiru The war
would be in their hemisphere then, and
the threat to Alaska inherent in Jap
anese base on Kiska would be eliminated.
The Kuriles would be the next step
on the road to Japan proper. Not few
strategists hold that this short route
offers definite advantages over the
Southwest Pacific approach to Japan.
1t is half as far from United States
bases and supply ports. 1t offers more.
potential havens for aircraft. Just as
the japanese can hop fighter aircraft
into the South Pacific along an island
chain, so could the United States ferry
fighters along the North Pacific high
| way.
| 1t is only 700 miles from Paramushiru
to Hokkaido, northernmost of the main"
! Japanese islands
The fighting along the front where
hemispheres meet may decide this sum-
mer whether the eventual invasion Of
| Japan moves in from the north or
south. If Kiska and Attu are regained,
| they will be potent arguments for the
northern approach.