The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-03-20
Handwriting On Wall

The German failure to take stalingrad and
the Allied victory in north Africa forced the
Japanese to contemplate the defeat of Hitler
as all but an assured fact. 1t was these two
actions that convinced the Tokyo war lords
to change the whole strategy of their Pacific
campaigns. They found that their only hope
Of holding out was to take up defensive war;
fare. They saw the necessity Immediately to
call halt to conquest and throw powerful
fortified ring around their newly acquired en-
pire, against the day when the Allies, triun-
plant in Europe, would be able to concens
trate their united strength in the Pacific.
We have seen in recent weeks how Admiral
Nimitz has penetrated Japan's central Pacific
strongholds and with the cooperation of Gen
eral Macarthur has gone far toward opening
the direct assault route upon Japan. The Gill
berts, the Marshalls, the Carolines, the Ad-
miralties, upon which Japan counted to block
the road to Tokyo have proved far from in
It but remains to complete the hopping up
process to have them in American possession.
But the drive started long before Admiral
Nimitz was ready to strike.
Walter Lucas, keen observer and close
student Of the Pacific war, has traced the
progress of the Allied approach to Japan
from the time the Tokyo warmakers changed
their strategy and multiplied their protective
island defenses This defensive line he
writes, twas to run from the Andaman is
lands in the Indian Ocean to Kiska in the
Aleutians. It included the Netherlands Indies,
Timor, New Guinea, New Britain, with a
protective spur pushing south in the Solo,
mons, the Gilbert and Ellice islands. On
paper this was formidable bastion and was
supported at convenient intervals by impor.
tant bases such as Singapore, Sourabaya, Ra
baul, Truk. and a score of heavilydefended
atolls in the Central Pacific. 1t was also pro-
tected by an interlocking system of airfields.
ITO attack this line the Allies would have
had to launch amphbious operations of great
completely, since there were airfields
within fighter range of the enemy positions
and everywhere hundreds of miles of open
sea had to be crossed before the Japs could
be got at.
"All this would have been very well if the
Japanese had not allowed their defenses to be
preached, almost by default, in New Guinea.
The key to the whole of the Southwest Pa
cific area is the great natural harbor and
potential airfield at Milne Bay the south
eastern tip of Papua.
"In may, 1912, the Japanese prepared
formidable amphibious force to capture Port
INV poccib1v strike AuStraia'S
east coast This fleet faintheartedly turned
back after suffering some casualties in con-
tact with very much weaker allied naval
units Even so, Milne Bay and the strategy
cally placed Trobriand and Woodlark islands
were still open to occupation.
when the enemy made an abortive at
tempt to seize Milne Bay in September, 1912,
it was already two months too late. From
that point, which also marked the capture
of Guadalcanal airfield, the japanese deten-
sive line in the Rabaul area was definitely
denied
"Now 16 months later the whole of the en-
emy's position in the Southwest Pacific has
almost completely crumbled. With the eli1ni-
nation of the Japanese forces at Buna and
GuaQalcanal IN IHe early pdit VI Ao1o ti'S VA
envy was compelled to change over to de-
fensive strategy. Since then there have been
few signs of any enemy commemorative re-
action to our forward moves.
It was soon after these reverses to the
Japanese that the American Pacific fleet had
grown large enough to allow Admiral Nimltz
to launch his history-making westward sweep
first upon the Marshalls and then successlvely
and successfully upon the other island groups
operations that astounded the world and con-
founded the japanese. ~4~-~
The war in the Pacific is far from ehoeo
But it is quite certain that TOTO ana hlror''o'
who foresaw the defeat OF Germany wien
Stalingrad survived the greatest attack OIL
the war up to that time and Ronnmel was
driven out of Africa, now see as clearly their
own defeat in what is going on in the Pacific.
A,.c:~ ~ Old RoffJQfIQId