Evening star., 1943-03-07
Pacific Front

SSsseS VIII
The Bismarck Sea washes a long
stretch Of the northern shore of New
Guinea, where, in the thick, wet jungles,
the Japs and the Allies are joined in a
land fight for possession Of this shore
Japan holds the islands that rim the
sea-most important of them New Brit
ain with its base at Rabaul. Japan has
naval ships in the region to patrol the
sea, while the Allies have none. Japan,
in other words, had reason to think it
was superior in the Bismarck Sea and
that therefore its hold on New Guinea
was impregnable. No more can Japan
think that &
To resist the advance Of the American
and Australian soldiers on their way to
force the issue in New
Part Of FiQht Guinea, Japan organ
For Australia lied an armada last
week at Rabaul to
carry reinforcements to New Guinea.
For escort it was provided with an air
umbrella and with naval surface vessels.
More than New Guinea was at stake.
There is always the consideration that
q strong Jap hold on New Guinea con-
tains constant threat to Australia.
south Of New Guinea. The convoy was
an incident in what can be viewed as the
long campaign for Australia, Of which
the fight for Guadalcanal was a major
part.
The war in New Guinea is the imme-
diate responsibility of Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur, U. S. A., the commander of Allied
forces In the Southwest Pacific. Already
Japan has tasted Macarthur genius and
persistence-in the Philippines, where
Japan was victorious; In Papua, which
shares an island with New Guinea, where
Japan was beaten. Macarthur is ham
pered by the lack Of naval strength.
Artillery. infantry, air-those are the
three military units he must rely on to
hght war which spreads over the sea
rs well as on the land.
Magnificent use of the airplane, both
for fighting the enemy and for supplying
his own forces, was made by Macarthur
in the conquest of Papua. Last week
brought the crisis for his aerial tactics.
Allied airmen daily patrol the Bis
marck Sea. Last Monday the patrols
saw q Japanese armada moving south
ward OF Ubili, New Britain. The first
count was IA ships, moving in the general
direction of Lac and Salamaua-the Jap
centers on Northern New Guinea. Japan
lost eight ships and almost 70 planes
last January 8-10 in an attempt to REIN
force Lac by armada.
The Japs last week enjoyed the pro-
lection of bad weather, which shielded
them from attack from
Foul Weather the sky during the first
Overcome leg of the voyage toward
New Guinea. But late
on Tuesday the Allies let them have it.
The clouds hung low and black. The
sea was pelted by rain. Flying For
tresses and Liberators bombed the ships
from low level and red flames spurted
high in the gloom. The first Fortresses
on their way to the target were inter-
cepted by Zero planes, but they broke
through the Jap aerial defense ring. AL
lied bombing operations were covered by
P-38 fighters.
The Japs were moving u transports
protected by 10 surface naval vessels.
Whether the warships were destroyers or
cruisers is question still unanswered.
The cost to Japan in any case is great,
for they all now rest on the Bismarck
Seas bottom In two days the battle was
won. The Allies shot at least SIS Jap
planes out Of the fight. They sank trans
ports that carried $4,000 Japs to their
death. On the third day Allied flyers
mopping up shot down q more planes
and sent to the bottom the last two of
the warships. In Washington Under
secretary of War Patterson acclaimed it
as magnificent display of what aircraft
can do in Goth century war
The immediate planner of the extraor-
dinary air assault on the Japs in Bis
marck Sea was 1t Gen. George C.
Kenney, commander of the air forces in
the Southwest Pacific, whose losses are
estimated at four planes destroyed and
II men killed. Gen. Kenney had evolved,
after many experiences In combat