THE BLOW AT RABAUL

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 18, 16 October 1943, Page 4

THE BLOW AT RABAUL

The smashing Allied air attack on Rabaul has every appearance of being the prelude to combined operations against this important Japanese naval and air base. It is most gratifying news. This enemy strong-point has been described as the key to the control of the whole area circumscribed by New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, and the Solomons. The shattering raid which resulted in very heavy losses to Japanese shipping—both naval and freight-carriers —aircraft and runways, and base supply depots, has been described by General MacArthur in his communique as a direct threat to the enemy’s “whole perimeter of defence.” Rabaul is only 725 miles southward from Truk, the enemy’s main outer base in the Pacific. The town, which is situated on New Britain, was formerly the administrative capital of Australian New Guinea until a volcanic upheaval decided the Commonwealth Government to transfer the seat to Lae on the New Guinea mainland. Rabaul was invaded and occupied by the Japanese on January 24, 1942. Round about the same time the enemy infiltrated into and occupied the various coastal points on New Guinea itself. The ousting of the enemy from these points is recent history. . . . With the fall of Rabaul the enemy's outer defence perimeter in the South-west Pacific, now endangered, would be definitely breached, and in all probability a retirement to a new defence line considerably further north would; it is considered, be compelled, Truk would be exposed to attack. Most important, the safety of Allied sea transport would be greatly increased. A line drawn from Dutch Harbour in Alaska, through Midway Island in the North Pacific, down to Samoa, and south-west across to New Caledonia, represents what Admiral King, of the U.S. Naval Staff, fixed as the Allied ocean barrier which the enemy could not be allowed to penetrate without gravely endangering the whole of the supply system in the Pacific area. Readers comparing this line with the successes gained since the invasion of the Solomons will note what substantial progress has been made in rolling back the tide of Japanese invasion. The enetny, forced back on the defensive, is, by all the evidence of recent Allied operationsj. beirig of his gains.