The Wilmington morning star., 1943-05-04
Inside Washington
BY CHARLES P. STEWART

anything else does is obvious It also is un-
oerstandable. Nippon is SO concentra ted. A
lew air bombs, scattered over the mikados
main island, can hardly fail to score tre-
mendously damaging hits, because things on
the surface are packed together to such an
extent that the whole face of the country is
Vulnerable target.
Attacking the archipelago with naval force
is at least very inconvenient task, the re-
moteness of its geography making it a diff
flcult spot on the map for the assembling of
an adequate fleet near enough to its coast
to deal with it competently.
Similarly, an invasion of Japan. before it
had been "softened up'' to the breaking point,
would be a near-impossibility, since so many
men would have to be transported such
tremendous distance.
Maj. Gen. James H. Doolittle, however, am
ply demonstrated the empires accessibility
to fighting planes, and the Japs' own howls
of protest testify to the islanders objection
to any further doses of the same treatment.
1t is true that Doolittle expeditions losses
were considerable. The Doolittle mission
largely was an experimental venture, though.
Of course, the question arises, why cannot
the Japs raid us Also"
Well, doubtless they could get few bomb
ers across the Pacific, but they would not
fna so congested a country their own
waiting for them as target. At worst
a narrow strip of our western coast would
be the only American area they could dam
age. They would not get far inland and our
flyers can criss-cross their realm every which
way.
To be sure, Herr Hitler is promising to
cooperate, with a series Of raids on the
United States from his side Of the Atlantic
If he does manage a handful Of crossings,
though he will be fixed just like the Japs-
on fhei1 edge of continent, unable to
push beyond bare coastal fringe, into the
interior.
And it is the safest Of all bets that none
Of these planes, Jap or German, ever will
succeed in returning to report to the mikado
or Herr Hitler Such as we do not bag, while
they are in our skies, certainly would not
be able to fly, trans-oceanically, home again
Any assignment to one Of those flights will
be an assignment to commit suicide-a basis
upon which the available supply OF Jap and
Nazi aviators could not last long
In the matter Of retaliatory raids against
the Japs and Nazs, the Americans and British
are at big advantage over the enemy.
Anyway, Anglo-American flyers naturally
have an admirable ant-Nazi base in the Brit
ish Isles. There is no danger that they will
not be able to get back from their raids.
AS for the Pacific angle Of the conflict
China will furnish accommodations for thrusts
at the Japs. There will be American air
craft carriers to reckon with likewise.
In short, many competent authorities fore
cast that this is drifting rapidly into pretty
exclusively air war. Uncle Sam and John Bull
manifestly will be the offensive pair, on ''glo-
ba,' grounds. The only thing the Japs and
Germans can do is to warn, 1T we catch
any of you fellows flyers, will kill them" ;"
I have no notion that the two big democ-
racies will murder Japs and Germans indis-
crimnately in similar fashion, but they will
have to- kill them, nevertheless.
| 1t can be a reverson to the darkest Of
dark ages.
Time was long ago. in the days Of Genghis
Khan, Hulagu and Tmur the LONE, when
be]ligerents miscellaneuosly slaughtered one
another-fighters, prisoners and civilians
alike Then some chivalry got into the situ-
alton. 1 am not positive that it greatly mat
ters new you kill man, provided that you
kill him. Still, there were certain formalities
to be observed When foe quit fighting you
let him ive-as captive. His wife and chill
dren were spared.
Today, the world is getting back to the
original article of anything goes warfare.
Aviation is what has done it. It makes it
impossible to draw distinctions, and it looks
like being the nastieSt of modern times.