Fall of Singapore was grave setback.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1942, Page 3

Fall of Singapore was grave setback.

Rec. 11 pjn. New York, Aug. 27. "The Pacific situation is satisfactory in view of all the facts, declares Joseph Harsch, Christian Science Monitor correspondent, who recently returned to New York from covering the war in the Southwest Pacific. "The front was being held with not very substantial American assistance. The Allies were a long way from beating Japan, however, and still faced a desperate fight until America was able to, divert her major offensive strength to the Pacific. But we retained our main positions and resisted enemy attempts to cut communications and seize lines of reentry. The Japanese have not succeeded in shaking the Allied strategy of battering at Hitler while holding Japan." Mr. Harsch's chief reason for finding the Pacific situation satisfactory is that the Japanese have not been allowed to advance beyond the lines established by the American military councils years ago. He reveals that, before the attack on ipearl Harbour, British, American and Canadian forces were being moved in the Pacific into a buffer area between the American and Japanese splieres but the enemy moved too quickly to permit cpmpletion of the plan and they seized the Philippines after resistance almost exactly equal to Washington's anticipations. "The American leaders did npt, however, expect the easy fall of Malaya and Singapore," he said. "But London aftei the war may reveal that it anticipated these losses and had intended to withdraw the Malayan army from Singapore to defend Burma. The final disastrous

attempt to defend Singapore cost 100, u(H) men and may turn out to be an improvisation forced on London by the Australian Government." Mr. Harsch believes that Java might have been held with 200 good fighters and 150 first-class bombers, but the Dutcb possessed only a few obsolete planes purchased before the outbreak of the European war. They did not receive any lease-lend plahes from America. These began to arrive in Australia only after the fall of Java. Mr. Harsch says the loss of Burma was not a vital blow to the Allies since Burma forms part of no-nian's-land outside the vital Allied bastions. He also sets out the full facts of restricted American assistance in the South-west Pacific theatre. He confesses a sense of guilt that his dispatches, like those of other American correspondents, emphasised the cheerful aspects of the war in the Pacific. He. says he now offered real facts by way of atonement. America, he says, is ■ following the master strategy of concentrating her efforts on Europe. The forces available for the Pacific are extremely small for what they have to accomplish. Considering- this the success achieved has been magnificent.