AIR POWER THE KEY

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 103, 26 January 1943, Page 5

AIR POWER THE KEY

MacArthur Comments On Pacific Strategy (Uy Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received January 25, 10.20 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 25. Air power, with its “swift, massive strokes,’’ is the key to victory in the Pacific', declared General MacArthur, Allied Com-mander-in-Chief, South-west Pacific, in his statement today. He said that Papua had been an experimental campaign, pointing the way to Japan’s final defeat.

“Lieut.-General Horii’s army ’ has been annihilated,” said General .MacArthur, “The outstanding military lesson from this campaign was the importance of air superiority ami co-opera-tion with the land forces. For months air transport with constant tighter coverage moved complete battalions of infantry and regiments of artillery across the almost impenetrable mountains and jungles of Papua. It transported Held hospitals and other installations to the front. It supplied the troop? and evacuated the casualties. For hundreds of miles bombers provided all-round reconnaissance, protected the coast, from the Japanese ships, and blasted the way for our infantry.” General MacArthur declared that air power linked with ground strategy would eliminate any costly island-to-island advance in the Pacific. By its fullest use many enemy strongpoints coiild he bypassed and decisive blows dealt to vital centres. >

understood to hold a similar concept of the path to victory in the Pacific, the agency states. General MacArthur's reference to “airfields and ground forces welded together with proper naval support” is held to be an argument against a separate air force and to express recognition of the need for the closest co-operation between the military and naval forces. It was recalled that General MacArthur has long advocated complete air and ground coordination and. furthermore, as Chief of Stuff of the War Department, lie promoted the creation of a general headquarters of the army aiy force which was the forerunner of the present autonomous army air forces organization, the Associated Press adds. “Depends on Carriers." General MacArthur (who will be 03 tomorrow) was supported in his assessment of the value of air power in the Pacific by Captain Ralph Ofstie, an aviation officer on the staff of Admiral Nimitz, Commander-In-Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet. Addressing the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce, Captain Ofstie said that bombing attacks on Japan were planned, but there were reasons why they could not be in the regular routine for the present. The progress of the war in the Pacific depended upon carrier-based aircraft, he added. The high speed and well balanced equipment of the carriers made them the best means of moving powerful forces of fighters, dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers against the enemy. Guadalcanal was turning the tide of the war in the South Pacific, but carriers were needed to augment the limited Allied air bases. Thus our planes could reach the -buck areas, deliver heavy surprise air attacks, which would be an everincreasing and tremendously effective factor in the smashing of Japan. It is understood that, if they are needed, many airfields can be built on the high, flat, grass meadows of Guadalcanal, supplementing the Henderson airfield, which is now enlarged to accommodate all types of planes.

“In a theatre where the enemy’s strongholds are dispersed throughout a vast expanse of archipelagos air [tower will permit of swift and massive offensive; strokes,” he said. "With proper naval support, air, land and sea co-operation points the way to victory.” Advocating New Policy.

The Associated Press of America says that qualified military authorities iu Washington interpret General MacArthur’s comment as finally discarding the island-by-isiand strategy of advance in tiie Pacific, and the authorities add that General MacArthur is apparently advocating a policy of direct attack against Japan's key bases by outflanking, or literally over-flying, the intermediate and less important bases. The American naval High Command is