The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-02-22
The Unpredictable
By ANNE o'HARE MCCORMICK

The unpredictability of the movements and
tempo of war was strikingly illustrated in
yesterdays news from the fronts. For the
second time this year the big story was in
the Pacific. 1t is difficult to get picture Of
the strength and importance Of the group OF
islands called Truk because few outsiders have
had chance to see this unique and supposedly
lmpregnable fertilization since Japan acquired
it under mandate in 1919. Ever SINCE while
the japanese have been building it up into
the citadel Of their South Pacific defense
system, it has been a forbidden military zone
Hence it is not just another island which
they have seized in their campaign of conquest
and hastily fortified. It is natural fortress
to begin with, a closely packed cluster Of vol
an almost unbroken wall For twenty-five years
the Japenese have been busy turning every
island into separate fortress and the encircl-
ing reef into ring of fire. The consensus of
military experts is that Of all the fabulous
strong points of the world-Singa Gibral-
tar, Malta, Pearl Harbor and the rest-none
is so well designed by nature and by man
to resist assault
Whether large units Of the evasive Japanese
Navy are sheltered at Truk we do not yet
know. Certainly, however, it is supply center
and naval base Of the highest value in
water front which dwarfs the Russian land
front in its vast dimensions and its problems
Of supply. According to the commander of
and expedition that took one of the Gilbert
Islands, it requires months Of intensive plan
ming to coordinate and carry out the conquest
Of the smallest island. He spoke of Truk with
ave. and of the attack on this stronghold as
one of the most daring and difficult ventures
Of the war.
Not only is it a great fertilization, second
only to the bases on Japan itself it is by all
odds the most important position we have as
saulted, the key to the Philippines and the
China coast. To the amateur eye, ranging the
island highway Of the Pacific from dot to dot
on the map the carrier blow at Truk shows
how far we have hoped over the stepping
stones that until now have seemed so endless.
This is surprising, because most amateur
eyes have been turned elsewhere. Three
months ago who would have been rash enough
to prophesy that the attack on Japan's key
kase in the South Pacific would be made be-
fore the first landing in western Europe? This
unexpected development was stressed yester-
day by the blanketing OF reports from Europe
ny the headlines announcing the Pacific battle
Yet these reports pictured General Eisenhower
in Britain and Marshal Rommel in France en-
gagged in inspecting armies and defense works
in preparation for the longawaited invasion
The British islands are now the biggest
military base the world has ever seen. The
spectacle Of General Eisenhower going from
training field to training field suggests the
extent to which those peaceful islands have
been transformed into a battle area. II it
underlines the contrast between Dunkerque
and today, it also emphasizes that even in
those defenseless days Britain was impreg-
nable Now it contains millions OF soldiers pre-
pairing to take off on the riskiest enterprise
| in military history. It is an aircraft carrier
capable Of raiding the Continent on scale
the imagination Of man has never before con
ceived. But this concentration OF offensive
power is not so remarkable as that without
weapons it was able to defend itself and that
in nearly five years in the very center Ut the
main battle-ground it has proved itself the
strongest fortress on earth.
General Eisenhower in England tends to re