Evening star., 1945-04-14
Marianas Air Power
Mounting Steadily
For Raids on Japs
BY WILLIAM II. SHIPPEN, Jr.,

Star War Correspondent
GUAM, April IA Via Navy
Radio Air power is building ur
on the Marianas in a way the
stunted Japanese could never have
pictured in their widest dreams o1
conquest.
AS write, the B-29s just back
from another heavy strike at the
empire are being revived at teem-
ing, expanding bases on Guam
Tinian and Saipan
While the fighting fronts move
on toward Japan and the coast OF
China the Army and Navy are in.
stalling facilities which eventually
may make the Marianas as impor-
tant to United States security ir
the Pacific as Hawaii.
My quonSet hut overlooks one OF
the great runwayS which have been
gouged by scores from the coral
ringed jungle and coconut groves
of these islands. Beyond a fringe OF
windmilling palms all manner OF
fighting airplanes and transports
are nosing up into the easterly
trades; their constant thunder by
night and day gives the impress
sion one could open the window and
they would fly right in.
Planes Descended.
Up, over and through high cumu-
lus clouds buzz fighters of all
the armed forces, combing windy
blue reaches of the Pacific. Across
my narrow window space. a keyhole
view of the big picture, thunders a
never = ending parade of gum
studded B-24s, out to give the Japs
on Truk or nearby Rota another
going over; slender, high-tailed
B-29S on secret business, laboring
four-engined transports and Curtis
Commands laden with mail blood
plasma and helmeted troops bound
for Okinawa.
Into the nearby Air Transport
Command base of the Army Air
Forces moves an orderly traffic fly
ing with commercial airline pune
tuality on a regular schedule, with
high-priority cargo for the Super
FortresseS, with mail from the States
or passengers whose business is
urgent.
Flying over the islands I saw
B-29s dispersed on vast airfields
reaching away to the horizon, their
high tails glittering through tropi-
cal foliage and their taxi strips
joining network leading to great
runWays.
Many Japs on ROta.
Strangely, Rota Island, still in
tested by some $500 japanese troops,
lies almost in the center of this
activity, ignored for the most part
but not forgotten. Sometimes
bombers drop reminders just to
keep in practice but transports
skirt the evil-looking, silent shores
just outside the range of small
arms. There is no sign of life on
the island and the Japs apparently
are happy to be ignored. The i'm
portanCe of this base was empha-
sized to visiting neWSmen by Ad-
miral Chester w. Nimitz, COM
mander in chief of the Pacific Fleet
and the Pacific Ocean areas, who
received guests in his headquarters
here. He declared the Marianas are
as important to the United States
as the Hawaiian Islands.
The admiral added that Guam,
Saipan and Tinian are control CEN
ters for mounting our offensive
against the japanese. We captured
them to regain our own island of
Guam, to provide bases for Army
B-29s ana to stage further opera
tions by air, sea and land in the
Pacific. Two Jima, too, is paying
dividends. Many B-29s unable to
return TO the Marianas have landed
safely there and from there Army
fighters are flying to the japanese
Empire to protect the Super For
tresSes.