The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-31

press conference In which he rounds up the whole war for the past week and tells how the battle lines are being pushed forward on all fronts by the Ground Forces.
 All three are right. Each gives credit to the others for the parts they play and there Is no conscious effort to steal thunder or hog the glory But 1t takes analysis by ex- perts in all three principal combat branches of the armed services to get the real picture of how much cooperation there must be t. achieve successes on distant battle fields.
 The argument for uniflcation of Army and Navy into a single De- partment of National Defense is Of course long standing. IL is offset to a degree by the proponents of sep arate Air Department to have equa. rank with Army and Navy as a dis tinct third military service. But without going into that argument, a review of strategic operations in the Pacific, as given by SpokeSmen for the three arms, shows how they have had to work together to get where they are today
 STRATEGY UNCHANGED
 There has been no change in strategy for the past 2,000 years says young General smith at the start Strategists merely take ad- vantage of new weapons and if the new weapons are revolutionary there may be some surprises. But basical- ly the strategy that worked for Hannibal works just as well for MacArthur.
 The recapturc of the Philippines began at Guadalcanal two years ago and 2,500 miles away. The Jap theory was that If she could build ba8tions at I'ruk, Yap and similar islands, it would be impossible to pass them.
 Tn this war, however, for the first time in military history, it has been possible to make non-opcratiVc any base by air isolation, converting these bastions into death traps for shipping, sweeping them clear of aircraft and bombing their ground defenses to junk from bases up to $50 miles away. For even longer strikes at enemy sources of supply there have been raids by B-20's, while on the supply lines themselves the submarines have put in their silent blows.
 Tn making the actual advances, step by step from Guadalcanal to the Philippines and in setting up the intermediate bases from which the Jap strongholds at Yap and Truk could be kept isolated. naval forces take on the leading role.
 After the capture of the Marshalls the reduction and occupation of Sal pan and Guam, there came the Navy's big job of safely conveying MacArthur's Army to the Philip pines and its continuous protection against attack by air and surface craft until the bcachhcad was estab- liShed
 USAAF MOVES IN
 As airficldS were established on Leytc, Army Air Forces could begin to take over from the Navy the tasks of providing the Army Ground Forces with air cover and of isolat- ing the battlefield, shutting off sup plies and achievements to the enemy.
 While the Army was completing is occupation of Leytc, Air and Ma val Forces were moving ahead to re- peat their process of Softening up the enemy on Luzon, then convoy. ing MacArthur's forces to that is- land and seeing them safely ashore And as the Ground Forces fight their way towards Manila. the Navy in the form of Admiral Halscy's Third Fleet moves on stil farther striking at the Chinese coast. bat tleships, cruisers. carriers and deS- troycrS.
 It Is. as Secretary ForreStal sums It up, "a tremendous drama Of sea land and air unfolding on q stage almost too great for any single mind to encompass all its action"
 It is the ultimate in successful triphibious military cooperation even If the principles were laid down some time before the Siege of Troy