PACIFIC STRATEGY

Evening Star, Issue 24331, 21 October 1942, Page 3

PACIFIC STRATEGY

UNITY OF COMMAND AND PURPOSE U.S. NAVY FACES TOUGHEST TASK IN HISTOkY (Rec. 11.40 a.m.) NEW YORK, October 20. Mr David Lawrence, writing in the New York ‘ Sun,’ says: ‘‘ In an effort to make the marines’ position in the Solomons secure the United States navy is up against one of the toughest tasks in its history, but the difficulties involved have been foreseen from the very beginning. One thing that is causing navy men concern is the public’s apparent inability to understand the real nature of the job and the reasons for the manner in which the news is handled from the Pacific area. Thus the criticism that the army forces in Australia under General MacArthnr are not being utilised to help the marines is misunderstanding the nature of the operations. The assumption that the army forces in Australia or anywhere else are not permitted to do something they ought to do is to say that General Marshall has not the opportunity to express himself or influence the strategy that is finally adopted. This, of course, is unfounded, because' it is well known that there has been substailtial agreement right along between the members of the High Command. “ Deception as to losses is practised by all the navies of the world as an integral part of strategy. Policies differ with the situations arising. One thing can bo stated positively, and that is that the High Command of the army and navy is not holding hack because of any relationship to the problem of morale on the home front. The reasons are strategic, and the American people must trust the High Command, which knows what it is doing and is interested only in victory, not politics or morale and problems away from the fighting fronts. There is unity of command and purpose to-day in tlie United States Chiefs of Staffs,

GREAT ISSUES AT STAKE LDSS OF AIRFIELD WOULD BE BLOW TO ALLIES NEW YORK, October 20. “ The Japanese attack on. Guadalcanal must be considered against the background of the war in the whole Pacific theatre,” says the Australian Associated Press. “ Very great issues depend on the outcome or the fight for the airfield on one small island. “ If the Japanese are successful they will reap great advantages. First, they will regain considerable freedom of action in the immediate Solomons area for we will then he forced to retreat to our nearest air base in the New Hebrides. Secondly, the Japanese operations in New Guinea will- be aided by their to concentrate larger forces there. Thirdly, the Japanese will be enabled to detach naval and air forces for an assault on our great transpacific line of communications, on which the security of Australia largely depends. “In estimating the effect of the Pacific operations, ■ Hie factor of air power is perhaps the-most important. The effective use the Japanese have made of their rather limited air force has given, us an exaggerated idea of Japanese air power/ Certainly some of the publishecf statements of Japanese plane production far exceed the facts. Japan’s planes are divided between the army and the navy. Admiral T. C. Hart recently noted that all the Japanese planes encountered around the South China Sea were navy planes and the same thing is probably true in the Solomons'. This suggests that the navy has first call on. Japanese plane production.

“ Thus the fighting in the Solomons affects a Japanese attack against Siberia, since the army obviously could not hope for a successful campaign against the Russians without sufficient planes, but if the Japanese regain Guadalcanal they could release planes for the army on the Siberian frontier. Therefore the influence of the fighting on Guadalcanal may he ' felt in Moscow, and perhaps on the borders of India. This is indeed a global war.”

AMERICAN NAVAL UNITS MAY BE LYING IN WAIT FOR JAPANESE (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) SYDNEYI October 20. Evidence that United States naval units are now within striking distance of the Japanese fleet is found in the report of the bombardment of enemy positions at Guadalcanal. In a coast-to-coast broadcast the American- news analyst, Mr Drew Pearson, emphasised the * (possibility that units of the American navy, always desirous of luring, the J apanese from their main bases, are lying in wait with large forces. He says that much speculation exists as to what is happening at the mysterious enemy base at Truk, in the Carolines. Only *1,300 miles north of Guadalcanal. Truk, he says, has been stated to hold a garrison of 250,000 troops. Mr Pearson makes the startling charge that the early American naval losses in the Solomons hod some of the aspects of another Pearl Harbour. He declares that when three American heavy cruisers—Astoria, Quincy, and Vincennes—and the Australian cruiser Canberra were sunk on August 9, the American ships were not ready for action in spite of a warning from reconnaissance units that a powerful Japanese force was steaming against them at 30 knots. The American commander, who had under-estimated the speed of the enemy approach, was ashore conferring with the commander of the marines when an attack was launched against the helpless American ships at 1,500 yards range, Mr Pearson says these losses gave the Japanese naval superiority in the area.

STRATEGISTS PUZZLED NO UNITY OF COMMAND WASHINGTON, October 19. “ The reason why military reinforcements were not sent to the Solomons long ago puzzled military strategists,” reports Mr Drew Pearson, the Washington columnist. Pointing out that General MacArthur had sufficient troops in Australia that could be spared for. the Solomons, he says: “ Unfortunately there is no unity of command between the army and the navy in the South Pacific. General MacArthur runs his own show in A us-, tralia, and there is apparently reluctance in the War Department or at White House to give General MacArthur orders. Recently the United

States naval commander in New Zealand flew to Australia and had a profitable visit to General MacArthur. It is hoped that the friendly visit will have real results.”

"STIFF, HARD FIGHT"

. COMMENT BY COLONEL KNOX (Rec. 10.15 a.m.) WASHINGTON, October 20. Colonel Knox told a Press conference that the Solomons fight is still a good stiff, hard fight. “ In my judgment the Japanese have by no means as yet exercised their maximum force,” he said. He had nothing to add to the most recent communique announcing the sudden reappearance of American warships in the Solomons, and said the communiques were being issued as rapidly as the information was received. Colonel Knox indicated that landbased aeroplanes will play a much greater part in naval activity in the Solomons. Asked if he would comment upon tiie number of planes, he replied that such information could not bo disclosed, but he could say that the number of land-based planes used by the navy was steadily increasing. Colonel Knox praised the Office of War Information report on the performance of American planes, and said it was extremely well done.