The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-02-17
interpreting
The War
BY KIRkE L. SIMPSON J
Associated Press War

=. VS. war Analyst
1t took nearly three wear, -"
the follow-up on the Do 9TaEs for
raid on Tokyo by Americ 'sne an
rier based planes but l~.l Sa''
struck it was hundred tin ,ea II
strong. ''leS as
Doolittle's daredeyjls dr
the first bombs on Totv opped
April 1912, 1t was just a I ses.,,1 m
OF defiance then, a part,os svT.sse
on things to come. That fes ssn rs
a needed lift to the war.e All; gave
home. 1t helped save tac e' i, at
America and her Allies h. Sof
the Orient as Japan made y, ~. m
guest after conquest around t lIa'
China sea. But it had no great , w
tegic significance. '''a'
The new blasting OF Tokvo ~,
other japanese homeland tsrs ara
by a mighty armada of N seS
planes launched from the mo..
power1u! fleet ever assembled IN
the Pacific or any other ocean ~ j.;
something else. Whatever if fo,"
shadows in Pacific strategy NH,
erwise, it wrote large the doom r NJ
Japan for all the world to goo
Just what the next step will h.
or the exact place of that titan;o
carrler-borne plane raid in bs
fast developing strategy of the p p,'
cific is by no means clear Tokyo
broadcasts accepted it as fors
runner OF American landing oner
ations on the BONN or Volcano l.,
land or both to bring forward Al,
bases within fighter plane strikjns
distance of Japan. simultaneous
sea-air bombardment of Two Jima
lent color to that conclusion.
Early accounts of the rail slso
showed it was aimed primarily ot
japanese homeland air fields ratb.
er than cities or war industry far.
gets. 1t apparently caught aground
swarms Of en- my interceptm
planes which never succeeded in
taking the air. As a covering oper.
alton for amphibious attacks in
the Bonins or other close up Jana.
nese defense islands, that would
be a logical assignment for the
naval fliers who kept at it, by Jap.
anese admission, for nine thunder.
Gus hours.
There is much more to it than
that. Judged by the guarded reac.
ton of high ranking naval spokes.
men in Washington, whatever else
the most powerful carrier plane
attack in history may imply, it
was the great American hope that
it would force Japan's battle.
stricken fleet into action TO its
complete destruction. Recent
events in the China Sc where
American Naval task forces have
roamed at will, indicate the Nip.
ponese fleet is home-based now,
still nursing blows dealt 1t in Phil.
ippine waters.
The hundreds OF planes that
Joined in the Friday (1okyo time)
attack flew from carriers steam
ing within 300 miles or so Of the
Japanese coast. Obviously they
were guarded by a surface fleet
so powerful that any japanese ma
val reaction must inevitably lead
to complete destruction of enemy
combat sea power sent out.
The mighty fleet and its car
rier charges were operating in
japanese home waters. Their
| presence there was direct warn
ing that whenever the troops and
transport and cargo shipping are
available in the Pacific, landings
can be made at will wherever on
Japan itself, in eastern China or
on any needed islands Of the lar
Central Pacific such seizures
| would best serve American stra'
tegic purposes.
That is fact that Japan's war
lords no longer can hid from the
people Of Japan.
There have been recent Chinese
reports of impending new Japa'
nese political and military shake
ups. ] pan S e philosophy &c,
mands scspegoats for disaster and
disaster has been stalking the
| present war lords of Tokyo releh'-
lessly.
In like plight Nazi Germany mas
frightened the screws OF internal
control to enforce virtual nation
al suicide pact rather than sur
render. A similar reaction aP
pears likely in Japan II an M
terna1 crisis comes out Of 'N
blasting of Tokyo.