HEAVY INITIAL LOSSES

Southland Times, Issue 24823, 15 August 1942, Page 5

HEAVY INITIAL LOSSES

Optimistic Note Struck

A note of restrained optimism is struck by the Press Associations correspondent at a South Pacific port in viewing the Allied operations against the Japanese positions in the Solomon Islands.. He urges continued need for patience, and emphasizes the impossibility at the present stage of drawing more than a few general conclusions about the

development of the attack. It is clear that the American landing forces gained bridgeheads at heavy cost. It is posposible that in proportion to the numbers of men who made the first assault the initial losses might fairly be described at “terrific.” It is also obvious that the ground won cannot be developed without paying a further heayy price. ~ , . . Authentic news which is filtering through gives cause for a patiently hopeful outlook. It must be remembered that there has been no parallel for the action in the present war, and that the difficulties of such an operation would perhaps best be measured against those at Gallipoli in the last war with the added complication given by the use of aircraft. MISTAKES INEVITABLE It is impossible to judge exactly what is happening and what has happened during the operation. Mistakes would be inevitable. Luck has no doubt favoured first one side and then the other, but “given the breaks” which their character, abilities, preparations and cause deserve, Admiral Chester Nimitz, at his remote control position in Pearl Harbour, and Vice-Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, at his direct control position at the scene of operations, should eventually succeed in their endeavour. There seems no reason for supposing that the operation has been opened with plans only half baked unless recent Japanese activity in the group has precipitated action before its due time. Vice-Admiral Ghormley has not impressed as a man who would be prepared to take the risk of attempting a venture with known insufficiencies in men, ships and aircraft and inequalities of material. He has an articulate hatred for the Japanese, but it is careful hatred. He wants to kill Japanese, but he is not likely to have a go at them before he considers he is ready. He is aggressive, but not impetuous. One disadvantage which Allied soldiers in Pacific war zones suffer is that, almost without exception, they do not have the battle experience of the Japanese forces. The enemy has been fighting for a number of years; the Allies have just started. No matter how sound their theories, soldiers must learn as they go along. The Solomons will help to make up the leeway. QUALITY OF MARINES Against this is the likely quality of at least a proportion of the forces engaged. While it is true that a little, over a year ago American Marines, with a total establishment of 53,000 officers and men, did not have sufficient trained personnel for all the demands already made on them since December 7, they are a force which has rapidly expanded and which has always specialized in landing operations from the sea. Since 1776 they have carried out more than 200. From the known quality of the Marine Corps and from the character of Vice-Admiral Ghormley and his staff, j it can be taken that the fight will be carried to the Japanese all the time it is humanly possible to do so. The reported presence on the islands of American tanks leads to the assumption that the force has had at its disposal one of the Marine Corps’ latest weapons. These are land and water tractors commonly known as alligators, designed to plough through surf and aver beach obstacles and carrying within each one light tank gun, carrier or other combat vehicle.

The paratroops which have been resorted undoubtedly belong to the Marine Corps. The corps has been training its own airborne troops, and significantly their rigorous training has included jujitsu. They would not have been flown from distant land bases of the Allies, but from the Marines’ own ships.