Evening star., 1943-04-06
Quality Gives Allies
Edqe in Pacific
Major Eliot Believes Jops
Now Nay Be Inferior in
Fighting Equipment
BIZ Maj. George Fielding Eliot.

| ~ Ao W. 0SOf SC 1St"tteS Oteoe.
Reports from Australia indicate that
| the Japanese are increasing their air
strength in the area Immediately north
| of Australia. There seems good deal
of evidence to suggest, however, that
! the japanese are sacrificing quality for
| quantity The recent record of Japa-
nese air power in this part of the world
| is not impressive.
An examination Of American and AL
! lied communicates from the South and
| Southwestern Pacific over the period OF
| approximately five weeks from the bat
| tie of the Bismarck Sea up to the present
| date, including the battle of Kavieng.
shows that during that time Allied air
| craft carried out total of 244 attacks
against japanese ground installations.
Many Of these attacks did great damage
| to airdromes, harbor works, buildings,
stores and personnel as well as to air.
| craft on the ground. During the same
period, the japanese air force was able
to carry out only 30 such attacks against
Allied ground installations, and very few
OF these did any damage at all.
During the same period, Allied aircraft
sank or seriously damaged % japanese
warships-a heavy cruiser, four light
cruisers, 16 destroyers and a submarine.
In addition two Japanese destroyers were
lost In action with our surface vessels.
No losses of Allied Warships are reported
during this time.
The losses to Japanese merchant ship
ming rreHited fn oir
period under review total 63 vessels of
all sizes sunk or badly damaged. Japa-
nese aircraft accounted for four Allied
vessels.
In all of these operations, the reported
losses of Allied aircraft were II, though
there may have been some unreported
losses. Against this, 318 japanese air
craft are reported destroyed or shot out
OF action almost entirely in combat with
Allied planes though scattering few
were brought down by our anti-aircraft
fire
From reading the communicates, it is
evident that our aircraft in the South
and Southwest Pacific areas enjoy a re-
markable degree of freedom of action.
They are able to carry out their missions
with high degree of success and with
little or no loss. The repetition of the
sentence "All of our aircraft returned
SAFELY becomes almost monotonous at
the close of each communique. On the
other hand, there were few occasions in
deed in which enemy aircraft were able
to accomplish anything without sustain
ing severe losses. Time and time again
heavy damage by our aircraft to enemy
! ground installations and shipping is re-
ported without any attempt at intercept
tion by enemy planes. The enemys
antl-alrcraft fire appears to be lust as
ineffective as their fighter interception.
Yet the number of enemy aircraft in
the area appears to be large On several
occasions enemy formations of 30 to 40
aircraft are mentioned, and one COM
munique reports an attack on $50 enemy
aircraft parked on three airdromes in
the vicinity Of Rabaul. There can be
no escape from the conclusion that the
quality Of the japanese air force is far
below that of the American and Aus
tralian air units opposed to them What
ever the respective numerical strength,
We appear to possess clearly defined
air superiority in the South and South
west Pacific
Air superiority is defined, by Air Mar
shall j. c. Slessor in his book, "A Power
and Armies as being a state of moral,
physical and material superiority which
enables It's possessor to conduct opera
tions against an enemy and at the same
time deprive the enemy OF the ability
to interfere effectively by the use of his
own air forces, and to deny to the enemy
freedom Of action for his aircraft.
On the record Of the past five weeks,
that seems just about to size up the
situation in the Pacific. We smash their
bases again and again--for instance the
96th raid on Munda was reported dur
ing the month-we sink their shippino
we neutralize their interception, we win
every encounter In the air, and We do
all this while the enemy are quite I'M
able to do the like to us. Their main
base at Rabaul has been repeatedly
raided, our main base at Port Moresby
has not been attacked in months, AS
one able correspondent on the spot puts
1t, "The Americans and Australians seem
definitely to have established supremacy
OF mind and will over the japanese
airmen"
tcopyrsht 1a43, N. Y. Tribune, 1ncD