STRIKING AT JAPAN

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 25, 24 October 1942, Page 7

STRIKING AT JAPAN

Continental Offensive Wanted Now

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received October 23, 9.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 23. An immediate major Asiatic continental counter-offensive against the Japanese is being urged from many quarters. The Far Eastern correspondents of the Australian newspapers stress as a first necessity a campaign to reopen the Burma supply route to China. The danger is foreseen that if Japan’s Asiatic successes' are further extended, her defensive position will become so strengthened that her defeat will certainly be some years delayed, and she may even become impregnable because of her manpower resources and the impossibility of cutting her off from raw materials. It is contended that advantage should be taken of Japan’s present preoccupation with the south-west Pacific, where she has been forced to divert considerable strength by the American success in the Solomons.

'Some well-informed observers are quoted as believing that, following the rehabilitation of the Pacific position, Japan’s’next moves will be:— 1. An invasion of Bengal to begin the conquest of India by States. 2. The capture of Yunnan, bordering Upper Burma, to prevent the Allies restoring the supply line to South China. Siberia will not be invaded till Germany achieves the maximum penetration in Russia in Europe, and then only if Hitler destroys the Red Army’s offensive power. Mr. Edgar Snow, now Far Eastern correspondent of the New York “Saturday Evening Post,” author of "Red Star Over China” and a loading authority on Far Eastern affairs, says Japan is reported to be planning to join her home islands to the Asiatic continent with an'Undersea tunnel to Korea. [The shortest distance ' between Japan proper and the Korean mainland is about 170 miles.) She is also working feverishly to complete the railways linking Bangkok, the Siamese capital, the Rangoon,' the occupied Burmese capital, Lashio, the Burmese terminus of the former supply route to China, Saigon in South Indo-China, and Singapore, in order to ensure the free flow of vital rubber, oil, tungsten and chromium supplies, “The Allies can defeat Japan today only by a major campaign cutting her off from these essential resources she is trying to secure,” says Mr, Snow. “The alternative—a successful invasion of Japan proper—can hardly be conceived without a continental base.”

The primary move In the land drive on Japanese-held territory from India advocated by Mr. Snow must be one of political strategy—the proclamation of freedom for all advanced colonial peoples. The Allies could thus count on the full mobilization of India’s and Burma’s 409,000,000, he believes. “Then, with only a small fraction of the .American forces now being poured into Europe, we could safeguard the remaining bases in east Asia and launch an early counter-offensive to reopen Burma and restore China’s active front,” says Mr. Snow, urging America to reinforce India at much greater strength. “In a few months that opportunity will no longer exist. What can be done now with five divisions and 100 planes will afterward require ten times that force. A war which can be fought now largely with Indian supplies on 'the spot may afterward have to draw entirely on American bases 15,000 to 18,000 miles distant.” Mr. Snow observes that Japan today is the world’s second largest empire, populated by 500,000,000 people. If India were conquered, Tokio would rule more than half the men and women on earth.

“Naturally Japan loves our ‘get Hitler first strategy,’ ” he says. “Tokio hopes we will continue to neglect our Asiatic bases till we shall have none left when the time comes to support our eventual Pacific counter-offensive.” Primary Adversary. (Received October 23, 11.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, October 22. “The men fighting the Pacific war believe that the Japanese are more dangerous than the Germans, and consider Japan-our primary adversary,” ■writes the “New York Times” correspondent, Mr. Hanson Baldwin, in the first of a series of articles on his recent Pacific tour. “Most' of our Pacific leaders and observers believe that the European and Pacific conflicts are two separate wars, coinciding strategically only at those points' and areas where Japanese and German ambitions and self-interests happen to coincide. Thus Japan conducts operations to help Germany only when it is clearly in Japan’s interest. 'Tlie bonds of the Tripartite Paet are loose and liable to severance at any time it suits the • interests of either party. "The Pacific leaders are concerned over the dangerous fallacy in American opinion that once the Germans are defeated Japan will be a pushover, and express the opinion that if Japan is allowed to consolidate her gains while we undertake the laborious process of bringing Germany to her knees, the Japanese will become so strong and secure that it will require years to defeat them. Furthermore, if Japan is allwed to march to further victories, the consequent effect upon the global strategy might be disastrous for the Allied cause in Europe. “Accordingly, we cannot fight a protracted delaying action in the Pacific We must hit Japan -without respite to prevent her consolidating her gains, but this must bo done while we exert our main effort against Germany. This is the dllemna of the Pacific. We are fighting a major campaign on a Shoestring. The recent operations in the •Solomons, costly to both sides, well illustrate the problems confronting us. “First, leadership is perhaps our greatest problem. The defensive complex and overcnutlon on the part of some naval leaders have resulted in errors of jud'gment and costly and unnecessary losses.

“Secondly, there still exists underlying bitterness of feelings between army and navy personnel, exacerbated by ■Hie more virulent writers and critics at home.

“Thirdly, the over-stringent censorship and lack of a co-ordinated joint public relations policy not only make the Pacific was an ‘unknown war’ for the people but intensify service rivalries and hurt morale.

“Fourthly, the Australian situation is disadvantageous and the problems related to the coalition of the war have greatly complicated General MacArthur’s position. “Fifthly, a' handicap has been imposed by the arbitrary division of the Pacific, which is really a strategic entity, into two theatres, one under Admiral Nimitz, the other under General MacArthur.

(‘Summing up the relative advantages of the opposing forces in the Pacific, we have a considerably greater war potential, yet Japan has hitherto had. a quantitative air and naval superiority. The enemy has the great advantage of an interior position, giving him shorter lines of communication. Comparing the troops en masse, the enemy is clearly superior in jungle warfare and also more experienced in amphibian operations. He likewise possesses the will to win and a firm belief in Japan’s invincibility. However, we possess a clear-cut qualitative air superiority and also qualitative superiority in some tactics and technique of warfare, particularly carrier operation and submarine commerce raiding. In addition we have shown greater flexibility and readiness to learn, and far greater ability to analyse and! diagnose correctly the enemy intentions, as was illustrated in the Coral Sea and Midway Island battles.”

CHINESE GET READY FOR OFFENSIVE

Enemy Power “Past Peak”

LONDON, October 22. The Chinese armies are making all possible preparations for a counteroffensive against Japan, declared Marshal Chiang Kai-shek, when addressing the People’s Political Council in Chungking. “The Japanese 'have reached the peak of their offensive power and now are on the decline,” he said. "An Allied victory is certain.

“Since the outbreak of the war in the Pacific we and our allies have been fighting jointly with a fresh war banner which we Will not lay down till the aggressors have been disarmed.” Marshal Chiang drew four conclusions from the progress of the conflict. 1. The strength of the Axis is taxed to'breaking point. 2. Tiie longer the war goes ou the more dangerous the enemy’s position will become.

3. The increasing Allied production and manpower will ensure victory. 4. The more China sacrifices now the more freedom and higher moral position she will enjoy after the war. President Lin Sen told the session, which was the first of a 10-day meeting: “We not only want to'defeat the East Asia aggressor, but the whole aggressors’ bloc and establish a new world order based on justice and lasting peace.” The entire diplomatic corps heard the speeches. China’s Equal Kights. Referring to the extraterritorial and other rights in China which the United States and Britain have promised to relinquish, Marshal Chiang said, “The treaties should be abolished during and not after the war. The whole world must recognize that China should enjoy absolutely equal rights in the family of nations to guarantee security to mankind and promote China’s contribution to civilization.” In the House of Commons today, the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Eden, said the negotiations for relinquishment of the extraterritorial rights in China had not yet begun. The International Settlement in Shanghai would naturally be one of the subjects of discussion. The Chinese Government reports today that prompt measures have bben taken to ameliorate the famine in Honan Province. Thirty-live per cent, of the grain tax has been remitted, and food is being rushed from neighbouring provinces where the harvest is good.