Evening star., 1944-04-24
Pearl Harbor Lesson
All Forces Must Cooperate,
Admiral King Points Out.
By David Laurence.

Admiral King Points Out.
By David Laurence.
What the United States Navy has
done since Pearl Harbor, how Il has
expanded to the largest navy In the
world, navy that is fighting not as
had been anticipated for so many years
one-ocean war but seven-ocean war
Is told vividly by Admiral Ernest j.
King, commander in chief of the fleet
and chief OF naval operations, in re-
port on progress issued today.
While in no sense condoning the fall
ures at Pearl Harbor which occurred be-
fore Admiral king took command, he
nevertheless makes a statement that
viii be surprising to most Americans
who had come to believe that our war
against Japan would have been vastly
different II Pearl Harbor had not been
attacked.
"The sudden treacherous attack by
Japan" writes Admiral King, which
resulted in heavy losses to us made our
unfavorable strategic position at the
outbreak of war even worse than we
had anticipated. Had we not suffered
those losses, however. our fleet could
not have proceeded to Manila as many
people supposed and there relieved our
hard pressed forces. Such an undertak-
ing, at that time, with the means at
hand to carry 1t out and support 1t,
would have been disastrous.
Forced to Take Defensive.
although we had made some prog
ress, and had for some months been
increasing our defenses In the Western
Hemisphere our armed forces and our
production were not adequately ex-
panded and developed to permit our
taking the overall offensive in any
theater. The Army ground and air
forces and our shipping were not yet
prepared to move overseas in suficient
strength for an offensive, and the Navy.
even without the losses sustained at
Pearl Harbor, could not alone carry the
war to the enemy. We were, therefore.
forced to assume the defensive in both,
oceans, while preparations for an am
phibious war were intensified"
This is but another way Of saying that
the United States in the decade before
1941 did not prepare for war and that
what has been done since Pearl Harbor
in three years is phenomenal achieve
ment. 1t is known that the Japanese
had six times the strength of Allied
naval forces in the Western Pacific when
war broke out. Today, however, by
reason OF American Industrial prodhlc-
ton and because the Navy had the
nucelus Of an organization that was
capable Of immediate expansion once
the ships and materials and manpower
were made available, the United States
dominates the Pacific to within 1900
miles Of Japanese home waters. No
Japanese naval units of any size have
ventured out to meet our feet In the
last five or six months.
The central accomplishment Of the
Navy is its remarkable use Of the task
force and the mobile feet of auxiliaries
to support 1t. Today our fleet can roam
the Pacific, thousands of miles from any
island bases, and infiict heavy damage
on Japanese possessions. As many as
1000 planes can be sent OF from single
task force at one time. Instead Of
thinking in terms of separate weapons
submarine service or an air force
or a surface force, the Navy thinks in
terms Of task force formed to do par
ticular jobs.
One Lesson Stands Out.
"As to the purely military side Of the
war;" writes Admiral King, "there Is
one lesson which stands out above all
others. This is that modern warfare
can be effectively conducted only by the
close and effective integration Of the
three military arms, which make the
primary contribution to the military
power Of the Nation on the ground, at
sea, and from the air. This report deals
with the Navy's part in the war, but it
would be an unwarranted, though an
unintended distortion of perspective,
did not the Navy record here its full
appreciation Of the efficient, whole
hearted and gallant support Of the
Nays efforts by the ground, air and
service forces Of the Army, without
which much of this story of the Nayy's
accomplishments would never have been
written"
This is commendable statement and
it would contribute greatly to the morale
Of our armed services everywhere If the
same spirit of mutual appreciation
could be expressed by commanders high
and low in the other branches of our
armed services. There is no place for
jealousies or frictions in total war and
the idea of an all-American team so
aptly expressed In the words Of Admiral
King is even more important for the
future than 1t has been for the past.
For the Navy cannot win the war
against Japan alone. It needs the CO.
operation of ground and air forces of
the Army and the cooperation OF Allied
naval power as well as Chinese man
power to conquer Japan.
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