Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-04-22
War Today
Japs TOehOId
on Kiska Grows
Stronger Daily
By HOWARD HANDLEMAN
I'M New, stF'ics san Corresp"ndehl

TIE JAPS arc not COINS 10
he kicked Of kiska easily They
are many and strong sRa-ate
going TO hans on 70 their island
fortress or sell il az a cost which
may he appalling
Klska has already performed
valuable service for Japan.
Tens Of thousands Of American
soldiers have been pinned down
in the AlcutianS 10 combat the
Jan invasion threat. They can T.
be used In more active theaterS
Of war and so far have not
launched an offensive from the
north.
KIska has been bombed from
the air almost every clear day
since last July, first by long
range bomberS that flew from
bases far back in the island
cham. and now by planes that
have To make only short hops
The fight from our advanced
bases 10 kiSka is now 50 short
that even the fighter planes
LlEhtnines and Warhawks-
carry bombs to the Jap strong
hold
BUT AIRPLANES that carry
bombs also bring back pictures
and these show there are more
buildings. more installations and
more guns.
Every time, the bombers 90
over. the anti-aircraft flack be-
comes heavier and more acct
rate.
The feeling that kiska is just
q spot in the North Pacific
Ocean which the American
Army can take at will is not
shared by our men in the Aleu-
tians.
Many American officers-high
officers 49, have flown over the
target and know how hard the
Japs are fighting TO keep the
island. They know. too. that
torrents of lead thrown at our
planes can be shot horizontally
az possible sea-borne attackers.
INTELLIGENCE REPORTS,
based on aerial photographs,
show that Kiska is anything but
q static base. There is constant
development and expansion, and
enemy troops and guns are well
dispersed for protection against
an air attack.
Every week the dispersal gets
better. Buildings. and the Japs
have plenty. are deeply reverted.
An officer who pointed this out
said:
'Tf and when American SOL
diers or marines make a landing
on Kiska, they will be forced TO
split into hundreds Of combat
teams to rout the Japs from
every one OF those reverted
buildings.
at will be like street fighting
In a city, with combat teams
battling at close range to gain a
few yards at a time. Every one
of those buildings Is dug In so
well it's q little fort In itself.
THE kind of fighting we
would have TO do to get the
Japs out Is the bloodiest kind
of battle"
ONE THING is fairly certain
about the weather here. il IA
vors the Japs. The prevailing
movement of storms in this part
of the world is eastward. Jap
ships follow the tail end of
storm into Kiska or Attu while
our bombers are unable 10 leave
the ground 10 intercept them.
Strangely, too. the Jap supply
line 10 kiska is only about one
third as long as the supply line
10 our advanced bases in the
Aleutians.
Inc Japs are getting supplies
through that line, too. The huge
quantities of flack they explode
At our aircraft are proof enough
OF that.
II American soldiers or ma
rines ever storm the island bas-
ton between the Bering Straits
and the Pacific they will not
find half-starved Japs ready 70
surrender. They will find fight
ing men-lots of them-supplied
with the necessary arms and
munitions 10 go about the speci-