UP SOLOMONS LADDER

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 217, 9 June 1943, Page 5

UP SOLOMONS LADDER

New Allied Move Thought Likely

NEW YORK, June 7. New moves against Japan's outpost line in the southern Pacific are likely soon, says Hanson Baldwin, military editor of the “New York Tinies.” Mr. Baldwin predicts that the Allies will make powerful efforts to consolidate their positions in the Solomons and New Guineil. “A new Alliedmiove up the Solomons ladder has been expected for a long time,” he writes. “Our leaders in the Pacific hoped to take Rabaul and New Britain last summer. But while the United Nations have been building up their Pacific strength, Japan has been increasing hers, and the job will not be easy.’’ Mr. Baldwin says the Japanese have about 200,000 troops in the defence are between Dutch Timor and Munda in the Solomons, but their strength is widely dispersed and there are no powerful concentrations. “The conquest of Attn, which obviously took longer than was expected, is indicative of the hard fighting ahead in the Pacific,” concluded Mr. Baldwin. “It is true. that our Attn troops were green, and, like nil green troops, showed deficiencies of leadership and training. Nevertheless, our casualties were high considering tile probability that the 2000 Japanese holding Attn were outnumbered by perhaps as much as 10 to one. “Our troops in the southern Pacific are more experienced, but the jobs facing- the United Nations in the Pacific will not be easy, no matter where the fighting takes place.”

MUNDA AND KISKA

Targets For U.S. Bombers

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, June 7. A United States Navy Department communique states: “In the Soutli Pacific yesterday morning formations of Dauntless and Avenger planes, escorted by Wildcats, attacked Japanese installations at Munda on New Georgia laland. in the central Solomons. The results of the raid were not observed. All the United States planes returned. “Later on the same day a formation of Lightnings an,l Warhawks strafed the Japanese positions on Choiseul Island in (lie Solomons. Gun emplacements were silenced. All the United States planes returned. “In the North Pacific on Saturday Liberators and Venturas attacked Japanese installations on Kiska. Because of a heavily overcast sky the results were not observed.”