The Wilmington morning star., 1945-01-11
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Still upward be thine onward course
For this 1 pray today;
etill upward rs the years 60 by
And seasons pass away. r. Of c. W.
Invasion of LuZOn

General Macarthur has struck again.
He's back on Luzon, largest OF the Philip
pine islands, after three years of bitter up
hill warfare. Today he is in position to place
his bayonets at the jugalar vein of the Japs-
nese empire.
According to John NJ Hightower, Associated
Press writer, military quarters in Washington
size up the strategy OF this new phase of
the Pacific war on the basis Of two main OBJ
jectives.
They are:
l. To gain air and naval bases which will
command the enemy's vital sea lanes between
the Japanese homeland and the Itch stolen
empire in Malaga and the Dutch Indies. AS
soon as Luzon can be sufficiently conquered to
get these bases in operation it should be vir-
tually impossible for the Japanese to carry
on any sort Of transport through the South
China sea-
2. To provide a jumping off place for fur
Their moves against the enemy probably in
GLIDING both a thrust across the China sea
to the Asiatic mainland and an amphibious
campaign against Japan itself
How soon these detectives may be realized
renns rs subject of speculation in the capt.
tai The fighting on Leyte is regarded as
indicative Of the fierce resistance which the
Japanese will put up now that their inner
most bastions are threatened.
There is no doubt that the land campaign
on Luzon, bringing American forces into COM
bat with the best land troops the enemy can
muster will be fairly prolonged and intense.
In sense the return to Luzon restores
American strategy to the position from which
il started when the war opened three Yeas
ago. It makes possible the application OF
plan of blockade and bombardment which was
the original plan that the American high COM
mand expected to use. 1t was thwarted then
by the enemy's overwhelming drive through
the Philippines to the Dutch 1ndies-a drive
that was halted only in New Guinea and
Guadalcanal
The great difference between the situation
that existed in December ls41 and today is
the losses which the Japanese have suffered
and the enormous increase in American naval
and military power.
Great as is the achievement in the Luzon
invasion, military men here stress that it
marks only the beginning Of the last phase
Of bringing crushing force to apply on the
Pacific enemy.
Ships and planes operating from Luzon will
not be in position to close the japanese sea
lines to Manchuria, Korea and emma ana the
japanese have sought to prepare against the
disaster now confronting them by taking ad-
vantage of this fact
Their strategy in China for several months
has been directed 1T opening and widening
the corridor linking their forces in Manchu-ia
witt. those in Malaga as far south as Singa-
pore to some extent even those in the Dutch
Indies islands of Sumatra and Java.
Over this lane route they will not be able
to move the volume Of supplies and Jaw
materials northWard to Japan which up to
new they have carried by sea But they may
be able to maintain effective contact with
their forces in the south and thus prolong the
fighting in that area.
It is also true that while the advance in
tie Philippines puts the Japanese islands and
such strong points as Formosa in easier range
Of American bombers, 1t still leaves the enc
my's exposed northern flank in the Kuriles
unchallenged.
II is subject OF speculation that American
plans for operations in the north Pacific prob
.blv will not be completed until after Presi
dent Roosevelt has met with Prime Minister
Churchill and Premier Stain and learned Rus
sia's intentions or at least the possibilities
Of Russian participation in the Japanese war
The role of the British however, is believed
10 have been fairly well worked out now.
Il considered probably that this. once tn
immediate Job Of clearing up Burma Is rairl!
well completed, will be to move against Tn
enemy forces in southeast Asia and the IN
dies. 50 that American forces need not D.
diverted, Mr. Hightower says