Evening star., 1944-09-24
America Alone Seen
Defeating japan
Writer Views War in Pacific in
Terms of u. S. Effort
Bu Otuen L. Scott.

By OtDen L. Scott.
1t Is becoming obvious that both Great
Britain and Russia will want to have
. hand in the fnal stages Of the war
against Japan. Britain needs to make
show OF strength to justify her posi-
ton at the head of Pacific empire.
Russia both has long time grudge with
Japan to settle and has interests in the
Pacific that make 1t desirable for her
to be in at the peace.
Under the circumstances, It Is well
to get perspective on how this war
stands. To date, except for some par.
ticipation Of Australian and New Zea-
land troops under Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur in New Guinea, the Pacific war
has been exclusively American. The
British have been tied up in Europe
and have not yet been able to get con-
troll Of the distant Indian Ocean from
fragment Of the Japanese feet. Rus
slams, of course, have had their hands
full with the Germans on the eastern
front.
This country, single handed, while
contributing major share OF strength
in the drive to defeat the Germans in
the west, has brought Japan to the
brink Of defeat.
1t is important to get this fact clear
at present because the voice in final
settlement Of political problems is likely
to be related somewhat to the degree Of
military power Of the nations concerned.
There now will be an effort to give
more and more stress to the contribu-
ton of other nations in the final defeat
Of Japan in order to add force to their
claims when the time comes to make
peace.
Actually, the Pacific war Is likely to
be an American war from beginning to
end, with no more than q secondary
contribution by others. This is true
because Japan today is In q very bad
way from a military point Of view and
finds herself not far from defeat because
| OF American exertions. United States
| Army Air Forces operating on q shoe
string in Australia and New Guinea,
United States Navy carrier forces at
| Midway, United States Navy surface and
| carrier forces in the Solomon Islands
area, United States Marines In the Solo
| mons and Marshalls and Caroline
Islands, United States Army troops in
| New Guinea In cooperation with Aus
tralian and New Zealand forces, turned
the tide in the Pacific war.
Today there is overwhelming Amer
lean naval and air power in the Pacific
The wars front line at sea extends to
within $500 miles of Japan proper,
within easy striking distance for air
and naval forces. 1t will not be long
before Japan is subject to regular air
bombardment from Guam, Saipan and
other Of the Marianas Islands group
There is no reason why the immense
United States carrier forces cannot
operate directly against japanese in
dustry. For that matter, there isn't
anything in particular to stop the Amer
lean fleet from moving in to lombard
Japanese cities. which are peculiarly
vulnerable to attack from the sea.
| For both sentimental and strategic
reasons probably it Is well for the United
States to regain its hold on the Philip
pine Islands. When that hold Is re-
established, Japan then can be cut COM
pletely from her Southern Pacific en-
pire. The Pacific Ocean, pretty much
an American lake at present, then very
| definitely will become one. To patrol
that lake and to challenge any japanese
force that may venture into it, the
United States Navy will have several
task forces, each about as big as the
entire Japanese Navy.
All this adds up to the fact that Japan
right now Is backed into q corner. She
has been backed there almost solely as
result of American effort. It is un-
likely that that effort, which primarily
Is naval and air, will be slackened in
| order to wait for other allies to get
| their forces shifted from Europe to Asia.
| That shift can take many months. II
1t is to involve sharing of air and naval
bases in the Pacific with British forces,
then 1t will mean that American forces
would be edged aside, because there is
not room for both, except on the main
land Of China or In the South Pacific,
which Is not now q main theater In
this war. There Is the further fact,
too, that the British Navy was not built
for the type Of naval fighting that goes
on IN the Pacific, with its great dis
tances and few operating bases.
The result Is that at sea, and In the
air and land operations around Japan's
mainland and in the approaches to
Japan itself, this war will remain one
falling largely to the United States
Navy, with its air forces and marines
and to the United States Army Air
Forces with their big new bombers.
Britain probably will concentrate on re-
establishing former controls In Burma,
Sumatra, Malaga, French Indo- China
and probably in the Dutch East Indies.
Token forces may participate in the
main show farther north and operations
in China itself.
Russia's contribution, however, could
be much greater. Russia has q land
army facing the Japanese Army in Man
churia. She has s force of about 100
submarines in the Sea of Japan which
could interfere with Japanese shipping
to the mainland of Manchuria. She has
airbases that are only 600 miles from
Tokyo, but Russia never has gone in
for strategic bombing and it is far
from certain that she would permit
United States Air Forces to operate
from those bases.
\
All of this adds up to the fact that