Evening star., 1943-10-15
Showdown With Jups
Would Be Welcomed
BY Maj. George Fielding Eliot.

oDou' 'hcA pooAtioH Ill Lne faclnc.
They have good reason for it. The
Domei News Agency, in a recent broad
| cast, predicts that American attacks will
be launched simultaneously against the
Japanese positions in Northern New
Guinea and against the Japanese out
| posts in the Marshall and Gilbert
Islands. Domei goes on to say that
these attacks will bring about a naval
action which will be decisive, and which
the Japanese will welcome.
1t Is possible for once to allow our
selves the luxury of agreeing with enemy
| propaganda-up to point. There un-
| doubtedly will be American attacks
against the Japanese in Northern New
Guinea and in the Pacific islands, and
1t is quite possible that these attacks
may bring about naval action, and
that this action will have a decisive
effect. But the japanese will have no
occasion to welcome the result.
Since the fall of Lac and Salamaua
events in New Guinea have taken very
much the course which seemed likely,
| Gen. Macarthur has proceeded to clean
up the japanese positions on the Huon
Peninsula and has launched an overland
| offensive toward Madang.
Meanwhile the smashing air offensive
OF Tuesday against Rabaul has Just
about finished japanese air power in that
part of the world ,>for the time being at
any rate, and has struck heavy blow
at japanese sea power
Particular note should be taken of the
reported damage to submarine tender
and destroyer tender. These are big,
expensive ships whose presence at a
forward base like Rabaul enables many
other ships to operate from it,
The isolation of Rabaul and of the
Japanese bases on Bougainville seems to
have been very nearly accomplished.
While this has been going on in the
Southwest Pacific. the Central Pacific
has seen successive raids on Marcus
Island, the Gilberts and finally the
smashing blow of last week at Wake
Island. Here our air and naval task
forces have been striking at the outer
periphery of the Japanese dominated
area Of the Central Pacific, and they
Aio'N bSSii oti ihihs Will u SuCCeSS WHICH
indicates the weakness of the Japanese
defense.
This whole island network on which
the Japanese have depended to guard
the road to Toxic is system of defense
which depends not on the individual
strength of each base but on the mobility
OF the naval and particularly Of the air
forces which lob xy,;tl,
which are supposed to be able to con-
centrate swiftly against any attacking
force trying to penetrate it.
But no such concentration has ap-
peared against our recent raids. and the
smashing blow at Rabaul may we'll have,
as Gen. Macarthur seems to think,
broken the back" OF the japanese de-
fensive power.
All this gets back to the Japanese radio
story from Domei-that the result of re-
newed attacks in these two directions will
bring about a naval action. If this is
intended to suggest that the japanese
will, at long last, put in their main battle
| feet to do or die, then it is an entirely
logical suggestion.
There always has been that possibility:
1t has just been question of the moment
which the Japanese would select to throw
this last stake on the gambling board of
fate. They can do it now, or they can
wait until the danger comes nearer.
AT some point they must do it; for it
seems impossible to suppose that the
japanese can allow us to mop up the
whole of their island outposts without
bringing about naval engagement,
which-if they won it-would throw us
back on our launches. There are those
who believe, and with some reason that
the japanese will delay in the hope that
they can keep their fleet intact as bar
gaining counter when the Germans have
been defeated.
That would be q good moment. from
the Japanese point of view, for a fam
boyant Japanese peace offer. But it is
quite possible that the japanese have
become convinced that no peace offer
short of unconditional surrender can,
or will, be listened to from them; and
II that is so, then the question of when
to put In their battle feet may be de-
cided on purely military grounds.
1t is obvious, however, that Domei is
whistling as 1t goes past the graveyard
when it says the Japanese will welcome
an opportunity for a decisive naval ac-
ton. If ever any series of operations was
designed to force an enemy to take such
risk, it is the operations which the
American and Australian forces have
been carrying out in the Pacific.
Pearl Harbor is a memory. We are
ready for Japan now, whatever Japan
may choose to do The quicker the
japanese seek showdown, the better
we shall like it.
Copyright, 1943, New York Tribune Inc)