FOE WEAKENED IN PACIFIC

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 288, 3 September 1942, Page 5

FOE WEAKENED IN PACIFIC

Result Of Dispersal

(Received September 2, 8.45' p.m.)

NEW YORK, Sept. 1.

The Japanese are not. so strong as their early victories would indicate, declares Mr. Joseph Harsch, the “Christian Science.Monitbr” correspon-. dent, who has just, returned from covering’the war in the. Pacific, but he adds that they are sufficiently strong ,to fight a long, hard war demanding the utmost exertion from the Allies.

“The. Allies’ defensive strategy, plus Tokio's ability, to use the same crack troops as the spearheads .for successive drives, has given a misleading impression of the size and ability of the Japanese, army,” Mr. Harsch explains. “Actually, Japan seems to possess a relatively small attacking force of first-line troops. She used the same men in Burma, Malaya, the Philippines, and the Netherlands East, Indies.” Mr. Harsch' makes the following contentions : First, the air battles in the Pacific have been trivial compared with those in Europe, as Japan does, nob possess a large air force, according' to modern standards. She also lacks the ability to make large-scale replacements. Secondly, the Japanese High Command shows a surprising mastery of modern strategy and tactics, but. the junior officers have not succeeded in eliminating their mediaeval outlook. They- are obsessed with a do-or-die determination and waffle troops on impossible tasks. Thirdly, the Japanese have succeeded at many points by very narrow margins. Fourthly, the Japanese have weakened themselves by dispersing their strength over too mapy points. SERIOUS AIM AGAINST AUSTRALIA Apparent Enemy Plans (Received September 2, 11.50 p.m;) NEW YORK, September 1. “The Japanese are very serious in their Intention and effort to take Australia," declared Mr. Otto Tolischus, “New York Times” -correspondent, wlib recently returned from Tokio. The Japanese, he said, had always included Australia in their “greater co-pr'qsperity” programme, and the Japanese, militarists felt that, they must conquer Australia and Siberia in order, to eliminate such bases for attack. It. seemed, that ‘the frequent, bombings of Darwin indicated, that Darwin and the rest of north Australia was the first objective of the Japanese as a base. Asked what likely plan the Japanese had in mind if they succeeded in occupying Australia, Mr. Tolischus said that undoubtedly the one single purpose of the Japanese in all the captured countres was to utilize the existing institutions under Japanese top control and for Japanese profit, ultimately transforming them into completely Japanese: institu-, tions. . Mr. Tolischus said, however, that the American occupation of the Solomon Islands had changed the whole outlook for the Japanese programme regarding Australia; r FANATICAL ENEMY (Received September 2, 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, September 2. The fanatic attitude of the Japanese forces opposing the American Marines in the Solomons is illustrated by a story from Mr. Robert Miller. Most of the prisoners, he said, indicated that they would prefer death. The sole Japanese survivor of one attack said, “I personally am not ashamed of my actions, but according to the Japanese code I am listed as dead and my return would disgrace my family. If I had a gun I never would have been taken alive.” %