Evening star., 1945-02-17
Tokyo Type Attack
Forecast Yeur Ago
Writer Recalls Admiral's Letter
In Debate Over Carriers
By David Laurence

by DaDfd Laurence
The epoch-making attack by an air.
craft carrier task force of the Navy
against Tokyo represents an advance in
the art of warfare which has long been
the subject of hypothetical debate here.
just about year ago this correspond
ent. following dispatch rejecting the
views of those experts who questioned
the power Of the aircraft carrier to enter
areas where enemy land-based planes
could offer strong defense, received
letter from an admiral concerned with
air warfare at that time. In this letter
do exactly what has just been announced
from the Far East.
The point at issue was whether with
out land bases captured by both naval
and land forces, the Navy could proceed
close to enemy shores or whether both
aircraft carriers and other surface ships
would have to await the capture of air.
fields on nearby islands by our am
phibious forces.
Future Is Forecast.
lhe admiral discussed the task force
operations at Rabaul, Truk and the
Marshalls and wrote that what had hap
pened there indicated clearly that when
the time is ripe and we have enough
carriers, I'VE can go anywhere we please
within enemy waters almost without loss.
OF course, carrier task forces now have
within them fast battleships, cruisers,
destroyers and antiaircraft cruisers"
But it was asked in rebuttal whether
the Navy ever would be able to go right
up to areas where We had made no pre-
vious landings and which were outside
the range of planes from land bases
which we had captured. To this came
the reply:
1T Is my personal opinion that our
existing carrier forces can lay off Yoko-
hama Bay and fight it out VIGOROUSLY"
There were, to be sure, skeptics In
official quarters at the time-nearly a
year ago-but the air strategists con-
vinced them all eventually and demon
strated in the Formosa and Indo-C China
raids what could be done with carrier
task forces
1t may be said without exaggeration
that, spectacular as have been the use
of planes from land bases, nothing in
the history of warfare over the seas has
been quite as effective in crushing enemy
sea power and assisting our own am
phibious troop landings as the employ
ment by the Navy of air power from the
decks of surface vessels.
This means that movable air bases
now can be operated successfully any,
where over the seven seas regardless of
distance provided enough auxiliary
ships with fuel and supplies can be
maintained. Indispensable, therefore,
to the aircraft carrier are the protect
ing battleships. cruisers and destroyers,
which not only fight off enemy planes
with their antiaircraft guns but pro-
tect the cargo ships as they bring up
the oil, food and ammunition.
The mobile task force that doesn't
have to go back to port for months at
time is an American development
which should give the American people
encouragement for postwar days, when
it will be possible, by maintaining the
present Navy, to insure America against
attack from anywhere
B-29 Job Effective.
The B-29s, too, have done an effec-
tive job in lambasting Tokyo but, as
the public will doubtless perceive pres
emily, the attack on Tokyo by our
aircraft carriers permits seizure of island
bases only $50 miles from Japan. which
is much nearer than the present bases
used by the B-29s. All branches of
Americas armed forces are working in
unison to crush Japan.
Once the aircraft carriers have made
| it impossible for land based planes from
Japan to reach out effectively to at
tack the air bases from which Army
planes are to fly, an almost endless
march Of Army bombers and fighter
planes can proceed to Japan proper.
This should make it possible for the
Navy to lead the way in due time to
the China coast and begin to open up
across the whole Pacific a supply line
to Chinas inexhaustible supply of man
| power.
While anything that can be done
should be done to shorten the war. the
sensa tional progress being made by the
Army and Navy and Air Forces indi-
Gates that even if Russia does not enter
| the war in the Far East, the defeat of
| Japan is assured.