Evening star., 1944-06-21
japanese Fleet Forced
To Fight, Says Writer
Calls Air Battle OFF Saipan
Turning Point of War
By Dapid Lawrence

Turning Point of War
By Dapid L.aWrsncs
Destruction of 800 planes from
carrier-based fleet Of the Japanese Navy
is one of the great victories OF the
Pacific war and may prove, as details
are disclosed, to have been q turning
point in our conflict with Japan.
For 800 planes take of from a number
OF carriers, and this means that Japan
finally must have accepted the cfal-
lenge Of the American Navy to do battle
in the vicinity of the Marianas Islands.
1t will be noted that the American fleet
previously had damaged landing fields
to the south of Saipan at Guam and to
the north in the Bonin Islands. There's
no telling at the moment how many
more Japanese carrier based planes
were lost In attempting to find landings
in Guam or the Bonin Islands after the
main naval action drove them of.
The Japanese, as usual, are broad
casting fantastic claims Of damage done
to our forces. The damage is said here
to be relatively light, but the important
fact from strategic standpoint Is that
a sizable American fleet with plenty of
aircraft carriers fought a battle COM
parable to that which we won at Midway
in June Of 1912. In that engagement
the surface ships stood OF at consider
able distance while the airplanes fought
1t out. Aircraft carriers in that engage
ment bore the brunt of the struggle.
Apparently the same thing happened in
the Marianas last week.
japanese Left Groggy.
But the outcome of the battle has
undoubtedly left the Japanese groggy.
They know now that unless they fight
our fleet in the vicinity of the Marianas
our ships will steam right into japanese
home waters. The only question, there
fore, is where the Japanese will decide
to accept the big risks that are involved
in submitting their forces, inferior in
quantity, to fight with the American
battle feet.
The Japanese must have had some
land-based planes In the engagement
because they have airflelds In Guam,
which is only 100 miles south of Saipan.
But In this war it is the quality of the
plane and its fighting power that counts,
and not 50 much whether 1t comes from
land or the deck of ship. The Amer
lean fighter planes that come of the
decks Of our aircraft carriers are better
than the fighters which the Japanese
probably used from their land bases
better in maneuverability. better in
engine strength, better in fuel capacity
and better In armament.
The japanese aircraft have proved in
ferior in the South Pacific, but there the
bulk Of the Japanese aviation has been
up against our Army planes. The jap
anese may have nourished hope that
against our limited aircraft carrier
strength they could mobilize q larger
number of fighter planes.
Undoubtedly the battle fought last
week was an eye-opener to the Japanese
Navy. A Berlin BROADCAST quotes Tokyo
officials as conceding that the capture
OF Saipan will give us bases for the use
of the famous B-29 Super Fortresses.
The Japanese plan to make determined
fight for the Marianas. But the Amer
ican Navy has long ago discounted that
fact and has prepared for such . con-
tingency.
Our Best Ships There.
The best ships In our Navy are out
there in the Pacific-our best battle
ships, cruisers, destroyers and aircraft
carriers. And the Japanese do not know
how many task forces we have or what
the strength Of these forces happens to
be. All the japanese know is that the
American Navy is on the offensive and
that decision has been made to force
fight on the Marianas and in the vi
cinity of those islands.
Another fact becomes obvious--the
mobile fleet idea effective on offensive
attacks and raids, but there must be
eventually a fixed base for naval sup
plies. Before the war began in 1941 we
had Guam but failed to fortify it and
hence lost it, Saipan has some natural
advantages which Guam didn't possess.
But in the Marianas there must soon
arise a big American naval base-bigger
perhaps than anything we have ever
dreamed of for the Western Pacific and
perhaps even bigger than Pearl Harbor.
The battles-for there will be many
now going on or in prospect are for the
possession Of that base And once we
can acquire it, we can launch constant
attacks on Tokyo by our Super Fortresses
as our mobile fleet seeks further to pro-