Evening star., 1944-02-20
War Review
Heavy Blows Struck
At Jap Defenses
Bx HOWARD P. BAILEY.

AMERICAN naval ana Army forces
striking in a series of brilliantly
planned and executed attacks
against the Japanese last week dealt
the enemy devastating blows which
brought appreciably nearer the time
when the war will come home to the
Japanese in their main islands.
Outstanding is the action still
going on in the Central Pacific ir
which Truk has been subjected tc
a smashing assault by hundreds OF
carrier-based planes while Eniwetok
most northwesterly Of the Marshalls
has been invaded. Until the full
story of what has happened at Truk
is told, we must be satisfied with the
statement by Secretary of the Navy
Knox that major victory is indi-
Gated and the comment by Vice
Admiral McKain that the raid or
Truk will 60 down as one of the
most notable occurrences in Ameri-
can naval history.
Capture of Eniwetok, If that Il
consummated, will make available
airfields only 750 miles from Truk
and 400 miles from Ponape, Jar
naval and airbase about 400 miles
southeast of Truk. 1t definitely
will cut off the rest of the Marshalls
from contact with supply bases.
The week opened with series oi
actions which came with speed and
power only possible because of the
unchallenged surface and air su-
periority now held by the American
forces in the Central Pacific. Toxic
reported that Wolfe and Taroa had
been raided Sunday by American
planes. Tuesday came the revela-
ton that toward The end of the
previous week, American bombers
carried on series of raids on
Eniwetok during which>the airflelds
were hit six times. Tuesday, also
1t was reported that the Japs had
struck back by raid on Roi in re-
Gently won Kwajalein Atoll.
Ponape Is Raided.
Wednesday, big Army Liberators
Of the 7th Air Force, presumably
taking off from the Gilbert Islands,
dropped S. tons of bombs on the air
fields and other shore installations
at Ponape and also sank one cargo
ship in the harbor
At about the same time, appar-
entity, hundreds of planes taking of
from aircraft carriers began the as
saul. on Truk. A great deal of con-
fusion developed as to what the ma
ture of the attack might be. In first
interpretations of the bulletin an
nouncing the action it was hinted
that surface vessels were also she'll
ing the islands which make up the
Truk Atoll, and Toxic added to the
confusion by stating that mechan-
lied weapons of the United States
were being opposed by Japanese
Army units. Later the Toxic state
ment was made more specific in a
broadcast that strong reconnais-
sance units had been put ashore but
were being met by heavy resistance
However, in official statements
here, there was nothing to indicate
that the Truk attack was other than
an exceedingly powerful air raid
starting from a number of carriers
sufficient to launch what were de-
scribed indefinitely as hundreds of
bombers. The carriers undoubtedly
were supported by adequate surface
craft in all categories. Radio silence
followed the first announcement and
until this silence is broken. there
must remain unanswered the big
question as to whether the Is or so
Japanese warships spotted in the
lagoon some days before the attack
by marine flyers were present when
the raid started and If so, how ef-
fectively an attack was driven home
against them.
The Toxic announcement OF the
landing Of amphibious forces may
have arisen out OF confusion between
the Truk and the Eniwetok engage
ments. The attack on the latter
began Thursday. one day after the
opening of action against Truk and
several beachheads were established
under cover Of a strong air UNI
brella and the guns of a powerful
task force which included battle
ships. Pending further information.
1t Is believed that the blow at Truk
was intended in part to prevent any
assistance to the Jap forces on Eni-
wetok. Eniwetok has served as
stopping off place for aircraft en-
route to the Marshalls positions and
to Ponape and Truk. 1t lies about
! degree south of Guam and around
1900 miles east of that island. It
would serve nicely to carry on fur
ther bombing raids against Truk.
Solomons Campaign Completed.
While the action in the Central
Pacific occupied the spotlight, COM
pletion Of the Solomon Islands cam
palgn came with the seizure of
Green Island on the northern tin
not far from New Ireland Island. bv
a combination of New Zealand and
Australian troops from Gen. Mac
Arthur's command and naval units
from Admiral Halsey's forces
Striking just at twilight last Mon
day, the Allied units swarmed
ashore to be met with light ma
chine-gun fire only and the island
was quickly taken under control.
Cut off from the base at Rabaul
some $4,000 Japs remaining on
Bougainville, Buka, Shorthand and
Choiseul Islands are now faced with
starvation or surrender. Rabaul
and Kavieng, Jap base on New
Ireland, were plastered with heavy
loads Of bombs at various times dur
Ing the week and an effort by the
Japs to bring reinforcements in a
large convoy from Truk met with
disaster when II merchantmen, to-
falling $4,000 tons, and a destroyer
and two corvettes were sunk bv
Army flyers. Most important of the
ships sunk were an 8,000-ton tanker,
4 7,500-ton tanker and a 6,0O0-ton
transport.
Monastery Is Eliminated,
Over In Europe, the fighting is
going on at an increased tempo
with the Nazis reported yesterday
tossing four divisions against the
Allied beachhead at Anzio, but so
far making no impression on the