Imperial Valley press., 1944-06-16
|GLOBAL BATTLE SWINGS
INTO REAL ACTION

|lkTO REAL CllON
Swiftly moving events has seen what
we have been calling global war turn
into global battle with every front
aflame. Not until every type of battle
Equipment on every front simultaneously
began spouting fiery death has the real
meaning of global war struck home. And
there are gaps in this most gigantic,
merciless military struggle yet to be
filled with the roar of battle. In Europe
the front on the west speedily may flare
from Cherbourg to the center of the Nor
way coastal line; from lmphal across
Burma and China to merge IN the flame
over Tokyo; from Singapore to Hong
kong; from the Aieutians to Japan by
way of the kuriles and most certainly
from Finland, down to the Carpathians
and thence over that mountain barrier
to meet the soaring drive from the west
The nazis by then will have been forced
back through the pass and out of Italy
and again will new menace begin steal
ing its way on to the reich capital.
In this seathing, glObal battle the axis
. finds itself in the very center of veritable
volcano of destruction. 1t all portends
the advent, and soon. of the day of reck-
oning for Hitler and llirohito.
Overshadowing even the eventful in
.vasion of Hitler'S fortress from the west
with millions of Americans, Canadians
.pouring into France, or waiting the mo-
ment to join their fighting brothers IN
Normandy, is the sudden news OF the
bombing of the isle of Japan itself. With
the fragmentary, but prompt and official
announcement of the arrival of an arma-
da of Americas greatest contribution to
the aerial fighting forces, the Super-fort-
resses, known as B-29's, and of the giant
ships of the air dropping their deadly
load in the very backyard of the Emper-
or, comes the assurance from Washing
ton that there are enough of these death
dealers to keep it up; that Thursdays
Invasion was not token raid but the
beginning of steady bombardment at
the source of the Pacific scourge. 1t also
lis heartening to know from whence these
. giant planes took off.
1t may be the base was in China, and
Iif so this fact bears out recently pro-
claimed opinions of our military leaders
lin the Pacific theater Of war that the
final and death stroke against Japan
must come from air bases and naval
bases in China. Long ago it appeared
| that Russia would stick to her neutral
status concerning Japan and that close
up aerial base on Russian soil from which
to strike Tokyo would not be available.
Although it is agreed that striking
from Russ base would speed the end, IN
the end it may be best that we are hitting
from China as that means the earlier
liberation of the Chinese from the grip
. of the nipponese And there will not be
1.-THE necessity for clearing up another
international situation after victory be-
|cause Russia broke with Japan. 1t is not
Ito be held against Russia, perhaps, that
| she has maintained her neutral stand. 1t
Twill be all the better to have destroyed
the reign of the Rising Sun boasters in
dependent Of help from that source.
In considering the additional global-
|battlefronts, this country especially. Is
|waiting with bated breath and ill-conceal
ed zeal. one more flaming front-the
philippines.
Macarthur will redeem his pledge
when that occurs And everything now
points to an carly D-DaY in that sector
1t will be a glorious day when MacAr
thur leads the triumphant march into
Tokyo, but an empty honor to large de-
gree unless he first has had the satisfac
ton of annhilatng the last Jap at Cor
regidor and Bataan and has blasted TO
eternity every invader Of all the Philip
pines.
A tremendous step was taken this
week when American soldiers, preceded
| by powerful naval and aerial attacks,
landed on the isle of Saipan, the last
stop from Guadalcanal to Tokyo or Man