A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 22, 21 October 1942, Page 4

A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Tension In S. Pacific STRUGGLE ON WHICH MUCH DEPENDS A battle for mastery in the 'South Pacific has begun. The daring and successful action of the United States Marines, under the support of United States and Allied warships and aircraft in seizing the Japanese-held strategic points in the Solomons, has brought the vigorous reaction to be expected from an. enemy who is vitally aware of the repercussions in. the East of “loss of face.” The Marines’ attack was on August 7, and the week following saw them make good their hold on all the useful land, sea and air bases Japan had been feverishly building in the area in the few months since their unopposed seizure of the islands. The Japanese, however, were never completely driven from the largest disputed island, Guadalcanal, and it would appear from the meagre reports as yet to hand of the course of events since Japan coun-ter-attacked on Tuesday that the main, attack is directed at Guadalcanal. The •Marines have been holding the airfield, Henderson airfield they named it, which the Japanese had almost completed on the area of flat land in the north-eastern part of the island. This airfield has been completed by the United States men. and has been the advanced air striking and defence base ever since.

Attack In Strength The Japanese have come back, as has (been expected, with no small force. A battleship, or several battleships, ■heads the covering force in the island s immediate vicinity, while there has been mention of other big naval concentrations some hundreds of miles to the north. From this, and the report via Chungking last week of major Japanese fleet and convoy movement southward, we may deduce Japan is prepared to use strong forces in an attempt to regain, her lost positions. Only the intention to use large land forces would call for such naval strenjitliNaturally nothing has been disclosed of the strength of the United States holdin"- force on Guadalcanal, but we know ’that U.S. Army reinforcements were landed on the island only a day or so before the Japanese attacked. As to equipment, it can be assumed that tanks are there, though m what quantity' cannot (be guessed. The decision is in the balance. On it will depend more than the simple mastery of the Solomons Islands area. The threat of serious danger to New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, Fiji, and the United Nations’ South Pacific sea lanes, and, less immediately, but none the less real, to Australia and New Zealand can only (be avoided !by United. States retention of the Solomons bases. On the naval side much depends on whether our intelligence reports have given long enough warning of Japanese fleet movements for an equivalent concentration to have been made or to ■be in the course of making.