The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-11-14
interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War Auot

81 4AAlCQ smash
es against shaky Nazi and Ninnon
csc foes apparently are f fpSti'
coming soon to cap a full ves Y- vi.
unbroken Axis defeats and retra.+.
Russian expectation of sweon;n,
Nazl invaders off Russian soil con
pletely by the year end clearIv
indicated - and within sigbt -,
accomplishment. VI
In Italy, another German bold:.
front south of Rome is as certa;r1s,
cracking in the center under AngIo
American attack.
From British and Italian bsso.
Allied air power already is roar
ing into redoubled action to nv.
the way for channel inv5s;o'
of the continent by pulver;7ina
smashes at German war ind,1sfn,'
and public moral.
Modified
Half way around the globe ,,.
men and means for a new tbr,,..
at japanese conquest outnosts Io
Burma-Bay of Bengal sector aro
being modified. Even in China
way of turning from defensive fl
offensive operations is being clear
ed at last.
And in the Pacific on the word
of Admiral Chester w. MIMI
commanding the hugely expanded
and powerful American Pacific
fleet: "Our time has come ia al
tack" Indication OF what those
words mean came from RabalI
where 200 U. S. carrier-bono
planes sank a japanese cruiser and
two destroyers and damaged /.
other warships.
Since that somber December :
at Pearl Harbor, the nation has
yearned for word from the central
Pacific that the march on Tokyo is
on in earnest to avenge Pearl Har.
Dor and Wake, Bataan and Cor.
regidor
Reduction by combined sea air
and land action of the insular de-
tense in depth of Japan itself and
the approaches to the China sea
from the Pacific seems about 10
start.
No other constructic, can be
placed on the Nimitz armBtce
day broadcast from Honolulu Or
on the events in the Pacific from
the Aleutians to the Solomons and
New Guinea.
The mass of American naval
power is deployed there. Nimiz
commands it under the directves
of higher authority, and this is
the picture he drew in sober, rea-
soned confidence of what will re,
suit:
Flank Second
"Our northern flank in the Aleu-
tians has been secured. In the
south and southwest Pacific IN
tensified attacks by all forces
have placed the Jap in pre-
carious position. In other (Paciicl
areas he has been relatively IN
molested but henceforth we pro
pose to give him no rest,
eve know that our ships and
our planes cannot destroy the
enemy. The Jap has dug himself
in. We must land and dig him out
The Nimitz message means that
American retributive assault on
Japan up and down the Pacific
need not await further develop
ments in Europe, or the final de-
struction of German power there
The beginning already has been
made to the north and south. and
now in the cruz | central Pacific
the war is to be carried to Japan
at an ever increasing pace.
Piecing together recent events IN
the final phases of the campaign
to clear the Solomons of the zoe
and take or utterly neutralze the
enemy base at Rabaul, it becomes
clear that japanese Leadership IS
beginning to show signs OF panic
The attempt to reinforce Or re-
|lieve garrisons trapped on Boug2n,
vile by the American 1orWaLo
leap to seize the Empress Augusta
bay bridgehead and tighten 'ne
pincers on Rabaul falls INTO 'lld'
category. 1t was japanese e.,
ample to too little and too late ike
the defense of Attu and the retreat
from Kiska far in the north