Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-12-03
Bv HOaeard p, Bailey.

The United States this week will wind
up three years of war, war which so
far has involved three phases, each
roughly requiring about a year for
completion.
During the first year, this country was
most concerned with holding the enemy
while we recovered from the shock and
damage of the Pearl Harbor attack in
the Pacific and fought off the U-boat
campaign in the Atlantic.
The second year involved the securing
of advance bases from which to attack
the enemy in his outer positions.
The third year witnessed steady
series of amputations which cut off from
the r-flung areas of conquest one
country after another and one group
of islands after another, setting the stage
for the final phase which Is now under
way in part, the direct attack on Ger
many and the direct attack on the
japanese home islands.
Liberated from the Nazis are France,
Belgium Luxembourg, Romania, Bull
garia, most of occupied Russia, Finland.
the greater part of the Baltic states,
| large areas of Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece,
Hungary, Poland and the Netherlands
and lesser parts of Norway and Czecho-
slovakia.
Pacific Islands Seized.
Taken from Japan or SO isolated as
to be no longer a menace are the Mar
shall Islands, the Solomons, New Guinea,
New Britain, New Ireland, the Mari
anas, the Caroline Islands, including
recovered Guam, the Palaus and other
smaller groups in the Southwest Pacific.
A foothold has been established in the
Philippines through the occupation,
though not completed conquest, of Leyte,
and Toxic has been bombed several
times from land bases now in our hands
in the Caroline Islands.
An important part OF the japanese
| fleet has been sunk or damaged and
her air power badly depleted. German
airpower has been cut so low that most
raids over Germany meet little or no
opposition.
Germany has been completely cut off
| from any source of petroleum and
Japan badly restricted in her efforts to
move petroleum from the Dutch East
Indies and other sources in the South
west Pacific. German industry has been
badly crippled and Japan is beginning
| to get taste of it in earnest.
American Naval Strength Up.
American naval and air strength in
the Pacific during the year grew to ire
mendous proportions and the Navy has
revealed that hundred aircraft car
riers of various categories are now
in service. The Navy also revealed
that the North Carolina class of bat
tleships is now operating with various
feet units and that two of an even
later class, the Iowa and the Missouri
are now commissioned and in service.
| Impressive numbers of Army troops
are in service in the many islands taken
from the japanese or at various bases
and, on one island at least, Saipan, air.
fields have been constructed from which
Japan can be bombed by the big B-29's.
Only in China has the situation taken
bad turn, the Japs succeeding in
| forcing the American air forces to aban-
don their bases closest to the coast and
also making good their campaign to
join North and South China into an un-
broken zone of japanese dominance all
the way down to the Malay Peninsula.
The following month"; y-month ac-
count of developments tells the story of
the progress up to the present, from
which point the fighting will un-
doubtedly be fiercer and the cost in men
and materiel greater than in the CAM
paigning which has gone before:
DECEMBER, 1913.
Nazis launch a powerful drive, spear
headed by 1000 tanks, toward Kiev in a
desperate effort to halt Russian drive
toward Poland. Reds smash drive on
second day, then launch three drives
simultaneously toward Latvia and Po-
land. BY end of the month the Russians
reach points only 43 miles from prewar
border, while Ukrainian Army moves to
within 80 miles of Romania's Dnestr
River border. British troops capture
Ortuno, eastern anchor of the German
line in Italy. Australian troops finish
| Job VI SACoA0A6 ooPo A&o1lA 1AuOA Z ClllIls
sula in New Guinea and American Army
troops establish beachhead at Arawe on
New Britain, followed by marine landing
at Cape Gloucester.
| JANUARY, 1914.
Russian winter offensive moves power
fully ahead, crossing into Poland after
which Russia declares that peace terms
must give Russia all of Poland up to
Curzon Line. Capture of Kirovgorad
in Dnepr Bend menaces all Nazis in
area. More than 5000 throw down
arms and fee. Bridgehead across Bug
River traps 100000 to 10000 in Ukraine
as Reds close sack. Leningrad is freed
from encirclement when Novogorad Is
taken. American 5th Army captures