The Wilmington morning star., 1943-03-20
Interpreting
The War y
By GLENN BARp


While attention is focused On =.
terrible battle of the AtlsnSa Ha ne
which Secretary Knox says we t.aa N
"a menace of formidable prona lass
tions," we are apt to oyerloa,. 'p0'' ~
fact that Japan in the Pscitio s
facing a submarine peril
more threatening to her cbaoo.l
of survival in this war,
The Allies are fighting tvo
marine campaigns, one defen.,uO' SuO'
one offensive. The former, agsi.e,, si.e,
the German and Italian woifnalS' iSaaiS'
striving to bar the Atlantic p9.S ~ ~
conveys that carry American S.r1s %e
ing power, is even now prob.ti 0.'.S
entering its critical phase. + Cauy oa
first on the American and Br;t!l' rViie
priority lists. Our measure ~ nt''4Sl
cess in it will have muc, r. 'ug'
WIN ue'erlnlnng the duration a,
the war. We are assured that that w. u
have good hopes of winning !. We
But Japan definitely is los,.. tt,
her war against the American I'M,
dersea flotilla. Despite orr bo. al'
shipping losses in the Atlan+ic a'y a',,
tonnage totals are rising Ton.., UgP
are declining. '8DS
When the japanese dream =.
great maritime empire lies
ruins major share of the cros.l IL
will 50 to the United States %,' sns
marine and air fleets. That @gr... rnt'
er East Asia co-prospenty sp5ersY
can not be held together witsor.
abundance of shipping
Secretary Knox said this vs.,
our Oriental enemy had lost abo',
1887, 900 tons of shipping but had
been able to replace about hall
this by new building, seizure NJ
foreign ships and salvage. Ober
sources estimate the new constmc
ton at $4,000 tons; the other GAIN,
at ATS, 1000 tons.
Since the best authorities aorao
that Japan had about 5000 OO0 tons
at the outbreak of the Pacific war
this means a net loss of abovt
Is per cent in Is months. And I'M.
less there is a drastic change in
the trend of the Pacific sea and
air war this percentage is due IA
rise sharply. The japanese can
not hope for another Windfall Of
foreign ships such as they gather.
ed in a year ago and it is doubtful
whether their building can rise
much above 100000 annually
The Tokyo radio only YESTERDAY
indicated a lively realization Of
this peril. America" it declared,
sis planning to carry out her war.
fare in the air and on the sea.
We must further exert our efforts
to increase our submarine strength
and tc achieve the destruction
of enemy submarines.
Credit for the inroads into the
enemy's diminishing shipping re.
sources probably must be divided
about equally between the Amer
can submarine and air fleets. This
week the Navy reported the sink
ing Of the 18th japanese mer-
chant ship by submarine, in ad-
dition to % probably sunk and 80
damaged. This would indicate
total of perhaps 900 1000 tons.
This has been matched by Amer.
lean and other Allied airmen in
the south and southwest Pacific,
the mosc recent example being the
battle of the Bismarck Sea- IN
which probably $4,000 tons Of cargo
carriers, exclusive of WarShips
was sent to the bottom. That was
big bite out of the shipping re-
sources available to the enemy In
that theater, although later reports
tell Of more heavy concentrations.
The Japanese may be compelled
to adopt drastic measures to con-
serve their tonnage.
Some of their most distant out
posts, in the Solomons and New
Guinea, frr example, already have
been abandoned, but not vollntaF'
lily. 1t may come to the relinqulsn'
ment Of others even before Amer
lean pressure is applied. That long
haul around the Malay peninsula
to Burma is heavy burden ina.
the enemy would like to be fo
of and ne is known to be WorKns
on shorter overland routes 10 IT,
place it.
This is by way of reminder lot
the coming spring, when lnhgS
may look dark in the Auahur'
that our enemy on the other sue
of the world is in even WORSE
case.