THE PHILLIPINE SPRINGBOARO

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 47, 9 February 1945, Page 3

THE PHILLIPINE SPRINGBOARO

DELIRIOUS scenes of rejoicing greeted the news of the recapture of Manila, ii> all the major American cities. This outburst of spontaneous joy is indicative of the sense of relief and the first relaxing of the tenseness of public feeling since the Pearl Harbour raid. Historic Manila, capital of the Phillipines is symbolic of either American or- Japanese ascendency in the northern Pacific, and while it remained in Nipponese hands the ever-present threat to the American seaboard towns could not be minimised. Today however the tables have been turned. Manila has fallen after three years to the gallantry of avenging American arms; thousands of starving prisoners of war have been liberated, and most amazing of all the Japanese garrison has withdrawn without a major struggle to contest the occupation. To the mountainous countryside the remnants of the Mikado's arrogant legions have fled, there to skulk until they are mopped up by patrolling American units. Efforts to reinforce her armies in the Phillipines have cost Japan dear, and there is not likely to be any further effort to risk fresh losses of transports and men whilst the Allies have such an overwhelming superiority in sea and air power. The most important feature of the recapture of the ancient town is however its strategic position relative to the coming battle for the conquest of Japan herself. The heart of the empire of Nippon has hardly felt the weight of the: air w T ar which the Anglo-American forces are capable of producing. Nothing to touch the terrific air bombardments now being rained on Germany have yet been attempted on Japan. That is all to.come. Manila, with its fine harbour and wharfage will enable the Americans to build up a battle port which will be the future seat of military operations against Tokyo itself. In actuality it will become the first substantial springboard for the investment of the Island Empire by sea, air and land. Its recapture means the turning point in the Pacific from the painful process of elimination to the possibilities of a full scale war offensive from a fully supplied, well equipped and favourably situated base.