Evening star., 1945-06-30
jap Invasion Jitters
Likened to Germans
Nipponese Eager to Discover
Landing Places, Says Observer

Nipponese Eager to Discover
Landing Places, Says Observer
By David Laurence
Japan has case Of invasion filters
comparable only to that which beset
Germany in 1943 and 1914. DISPATCHES
from Tokyo tell significant story of
apprehension but. they also reflect an
eagerness to entrap the United States
into indicating when and where the in.
vasion or invasions may be expected.
Obviously the japanese would like to
know so that they could set up their
defenses and concentrate on the places
where the impact is to come. Also
they would like to know how much time
they have for further Notifications be-
fore the blows are inflicted. That's why
constant stream of dispatches indi.
eating that Japan expects an invasion
from this or that direction comes from
Tokyo with the hope that the Americans
will satisfy this curiosity either by con-
flrming or denying specific dispatches.
The policy of keeping the enemy
guessing paid off well in the case of
Germany. 1t now is admitted by Ger
man officers that because the Nazis were
afraid to move their forces out of the
Calais area, since they expected the real
invasion there even after Allied forces
we're landed in Normandy, it was not
possible to oppose the American ad-
vances from Normandy in the same
manner as if the Germans were free
to throw all their troops into that sector.
Approaches on All Sides.
The japanese do not know from which
direction the invasion or invasions will
come. They know as we'll as our mill
tary men what are the best vantage
points for landings and what the tide
and weather conditions would be on
certain coasts that might be selected.
Here the guessing game starts, for only
the attacking force knows when it will
land and where. Oftentimes the very
spot at which the enemy would not ex-
pect landing because Of some adverse
condition is seized on as the best place
because it aids deception and the ele-
ment OF surprise is enlarged.
Actually there are literally dozens Of
invasion plans. Anybody who studies
the map and knows anything about the
terrain can see at glance all the direc-
t1ons from which an attacking force
could come. Unfortunately for Japan.
being an island, approaches can be made
from every side and there will be for
the japanese no way of telling which
are the feints and diversions and which
are the main attacks.
Obviously what happens in China
and also what happens in the air bonn
bardment of Japans industrial areas is
closely related to the time and place
of any invasions of Japan proper. The
Japanese can reread the dispatches of
1943 and 1914 and discover tnat our
superior air forces pounded the German
factories and industrial plants con-
stantly and, although we did not ac-
complish total destruction, the amount
OF damage done to strategic centers was
such that invasion was materially as
sisted. The same thing will happen in
Japan.
Bombing of the industrial plants Of
Japan may go on for some time before
i invasions are attempted Meanwhile,
the situation in China is bound to i'm
prove steadily from the Allied viewpoint.
Not only are the Chinese armies, now
equipped and trained by us. likely to
split up the Japanese forces in China
and compel a withdrawal of japanese
occupying forces from the south, but
it is possible that some decisive battles
may be fought in North China
Soong Off for Moscow.
Latest dispatches from Chungking
confirm, for instance, that Premier T.
" Soong has left for Moscow to lis
cuss Manchurian questions and rela-
tions with the Chinese Communists,
This conference is of the utmost i'm
portance not only in political but a
military sense, for what is needed now
is unity of action on the part of all Chi
nese forces engaged in fighting Japan
IT Russia should enter the war, her
forces on the Manchurian border have
to be taken into consideration. Already,
according to Foreign Economic Admin
istrator Crowley, lease-lend has been
sent to Siberian areas so that, whether
Russia stays neutral or participates. the
japanese must keep large part of their
armies watching for any contingency
that may arise on the Manchurian
border
Japan has plenty of worries, there
fore, not only for her own cities and
homeland forces but for the troops she
must keep supplied in China. To the
air bombardment must be added an
other powerful instrument - naval
blockade. This means possible strikes
from carrier task forces and from sub
marines and even the shelling of i'm
portant bases by naval gunflre, all of
which must precede any invasion or
invasions in strength.
Reproduction Rights Reserved.)