ISSUE OF BATTLE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 22 October 1942, Page 5

ISSUE OF BATTLE

IMPORTANCE STRESSED IN PRESS PROFOUND EFFECT ON STRATEGY Ne w York, Oct. 20. It is strange that in a war in which the armies are counted by millions and nearly two thousand million persons are involved that a decisive engagement | should be fought, in a scantily populated area without economic importance, comments the “New York Times” in a leading article. Yet this is a true description of the battle of the Solomons.. The land fofces of either side are small beside those fighting within the city of Stalingrad, and the air forces are smail beside those that participated in the Dieppe Raid. It is impossible to estimate the naval forces but we are entitled to suppose that what occurs in the next few days on and over the sea at this intersection of power in the Far East will have a profound effect on the strategy of the war in the Pacific. The time had to come in this area when the Japanese, mustering all their striking power, would move against the Americans employing all their defensive and offensive forces. The Americans have no doubts of the ultimate issue in the Pacific. As for the immediate result at Guadalcanal' we can hope and pray—that is all we can do aside from working harder and making sacrifices to help the cause along. At any moment the battle of Guadalcanar could precipitate a major fleet action which might put Australia in peril or burst the bubble of Japanese conquests, says the “Christian Science Monitor,” and adds that a major naval battle in the Solomons can be expected soon because unless Japan can win naval dominance she faces continuous whittling down of her sea and air power by American flyers. including Fortresses from Australia. Tokio may conclude that, a decisive battle had better be fought in the Solomons rather

1 than in Japanese waters. Japanese 1 counter-attacks removed any prospect ‘ of exploiting the American seizure of Guadalcanar in a major United Nations’ ; offensive. Indeed, the Americans must cling to the vital airfield or face the • prospects of a new Japanese drive on - Australia.—P.A. ' THE SOLOMONS BATTLE | Sydney, Oct. 21. - American strategy in the Solomons [ must be determined more by geography ; than by choice, declares the "Manchester Guardian” stressing the great advan- ; tages held by the Japanese in the posr session of several bases within easy ; striking distance of Guadalcanar. With | air bases already established at Buin and Buka in the Northern Solomons as . well as at Rabaul, the Japanese have been working frantically to build new l airfields. It is suggested that they may . even have some kind of aerodrome on Shortland Island (where a large concen- . tration of enemy transports has been reported) just 260 miles north-east of Guadalcanar or New Georgia. I The Commander-in-Chief of the Unit- • ed States Navy, Admiral King, was ; cautious on the subject of the Solomons in a New York speech. "Although Amei rica is still fighting a two-ocean war ; with a one-ocean navy, we took the , offensive at Tulagi in August,” he said, . "and the Japanese fear and resent it. A second-ocean navy is well on the way this year, but there will not be any miracles in this war and no inventors to produce machines to knock out the Japanese and their planes. There is no cheap way of winning this war.” Admiral King added that officers returning from the Solomons assured him that all services there were “in the ditch digging together.”—P.A. Special Australian Correspondent.