The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-01
Property Tax Bills For July And December In Preparation
U. s. Power Is Setting Stage
 For ''Last Act'' Of Pacific War
BY THOMAS M. JOHNSON
 NEA Military Writer


 Washington, June While the world gazes in fascination toward Europe and the greatest victory in military annals, Allied commanders are quietly solving vast problem logistics-transportation and sup ply-which is the buildup for D. Day in Asia.
 From six continents and seven seas we are assembling, mostly around few islands, what will be the most powerful triphibious forces ever deployed. By air, sea and land they are assuming position to crush Japan as Germany was crushed.
 The pressure will come partly from British, Indians, Anzacs, French, Dutch, Chinese, and prob- ably Russians. But the direction comes largely from our Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, the execu- tion from American admirals and generals-and from American fore es which will be perhaps twice our present Pacific strength of around 2,500,000. Army alone may send g. 000,000 from here and Europe, using improved shipping methods.
 ENGINEERS ON HAND
 Already Pacific bases are being prepared by engineers newly ar rived with materials from Eng land. Air Force ground and bomber crews are also leaving there. Bombers, freed by the Luft- WaffeS debacle, will be following soon. Astronomical quantities of bombs already are going. Next will come armored divisions, which the Japs have never faced,
 All this strength is borne to the Far East by the mightiest fleets that ever sailed the seas. They in- clude fair share Of the Navy and Merchant Marine tonnage, now within hailing distance of 50 mil lions. The Navy alone completed nearly 36,000 ships this year, in cluding many additions to it's co., 0O0 landing craft
 For D Day in Europe we moved and supplied an army across a 3000-mile ocean, using the many good ports of our east coast and England, for a 26-mile jump across the Channel For p Day in | Asia We have few west coast ports, and 1000 miles of ocean to whatever closeup base We find
 Where will that base be, and where will we go from it? Will we | tl1ov O Fa tol 11,
 Will Allied forces first retake Bor- neo's oil and Java's rubber to ease supply for the jump off? And will the Jump-off be from the Philip ! pines to Formosa and thence to the Chinese mainland at Annoy and SWatoW, or even direct to Hong 1 Kong from Manila or to Shanghai from Okinawa?
 That would bring China ade- quate food and supplise for her ci- 1 williams and her armies, which then i could help Us clear their country of Japanese so that it could serve as vast staging area for the final 1 blow against the main Japanese is lands. Those islands, meantime would have been worn down by blockade and bombing.
 | CALCULATED RISK
 Or, leaving other operations to [ other nations, will the Americans take stupendous calculated risk? VIII they concentrate feverishlv cn developing Okinawa's great open spaces into the biggest man-made island base in history, a base whence we can launch an attack directly at Japan?
 Auoaclous-but Japans sea and ar power would too crippled for real counter attack. Her vast army, though largely concen- trated at home, would be disjointed by our bombers from several island