The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-10-20
interpreting
The War
BY K1RKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War oN

war Analvs1
American "a forces have at -,
crossed the last critical go ~ lat
OF the hard road back =. 'paa
Philippines to redeem the y, O1.s M
sealed in blood by the m p.s0s.
Bataan and Corregidor. 'A a
BY Japanese official anror.
ment the Americans have .t
in force by land, air and s '"0cs
the lower central section Of u. n
great island ARCHIPELAGO 1s
Leyte gulf they are Reported IL
the enemy as knocking thuu.. :!
ously at eastern portals NJ u y
gateway to the inland sea q, S'
Philippine group. V @s
Hours passed without Ams,;..
confirmation from anv souras 'sa
the Tokyo disclosure; but ~. o.
was no reason to doubt that ~
amphlbious march back to MaOils
had reached it climax. Amaa
can troops We're setting foot sgai,
on the Philippine soil Amer saa
and Filipino comrades had !.
tended so long against all ods.
before meeting death or cant,rs
Whether the amphibious strI. ,
in the wide Leyte gulf on the e. ns
coast of the island of that NAM. '
is the main reinvasion thrust =.
one OF several coordinated ons,
atoms is yet to be disclosed. n.
envy first reports give littl. II.
formation beyond the Leyte nl,
site and the hint that major An
erican forces sea, air and ground
are engaged. The tactical and
strategic advantage Of securir,
prompt Judgement on Leyte /.
land, whatever the board plan a,
action being followed, are I'm
obvious for the move to havs
taken the enemy wholly BY sur.
prise.
Leyte bay, and tiny suluan Is.
land off it's wide mouth, which
Tokyo reported also under At.
tack dominate the Pacific On.
trance to Surigao strait and IN.
Mindanao sea. They form A
broad inland water way through
the Philippine archipelago givi,
access from the Pacific to The
Sulu sea and the South China Sea
itself.
Control Of that inland passage
through capture Of the island,
that flank it or the destruction
or naturalization of enemy air
fields and sea bases upon them
would isolate huge Minanao is.
land and it's japanese garrison
from the rest Of the group. II
would aim a deadly threat direct
at Japanese power in the South
China sea if sufficiently consoli
dated to permit westward passage
of battle fleets.
Effective American penetration
through central Philippine waters
could menace closely Japans
main fuel oil source in Bornea,
and virtually cut off the who.
southeastern sector Of the enc.
lny's China Sea conquest zone in.
fluding Borneo and all the eastern
Aert of the Dutch Indies. At III.
SAINT time British forces are
astir, Tokyo admits, in the Bay Of
Bengal theatre raiding the Nicc'
bar islands that guard the west
ern entrance of the Strait Of
Malacca between Sumatra and
the Malay Peninsula.
Obviously Leyte in America
hands would bar any land move.
ment of enemy troops southwark
to aid the garrison OF Mlndanao
if seizure Of the big southern is.
land is the next contemplate
step. Just as obviously Leye
could be built up as the jump-h
base for march northwan
against Manila via Samar and
the elongated southeast neck Of
LuZon.
Many weeks ago high ranking
officers under General MacAr'
thurs command privately eS'
pressed expectation of celebrating
Thanksgiving day in the Phllp'
pines. They are well on tnet
way toward realization OF thai
ambition right now.