CONTROL OF SEA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 August 1942, Page 3

CONTROL OF SEA

WILL DETERMINE OUTCOME DEPENDENCE ON FLEET & AIRCRAFT. TO PREVENT JAPANESE REINFORCEMENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The New Zealand Press Association correspondent at a South Pacific port last night stated that the latest reports of the fighting in the Solomons emphasise a cardinal truth which underlies the whole future of the operation. This is that, now the Americans have established satisfactory footholds on the various islands attacked, victory must eventually go to the side which controls the sea. The Allies cannot win the islands so long as the Japanese can fling in fresh forces, and they cannot hold and maintain the group for their own future strategical purposes unless they can keep their marine supply lines open. It is upon his fleet and his aircraft that vice-admiral Ghormley must depend for preventing the Japanese from reinforcing the enemy troops which are now in action.

The reports that the fleet has been in action after the bridgeheads were achieved clearly show that the Japanese are worried about the future of the land lighting and are attempting a means to clear the seas and reinforce their own troops at will. If they succeed the battle is lost. Some such counter-offensive as the Japanese now seem to be taking in the Solomons area was anticipated by the Allies, and dispositions have undoubtedly been taken to meet it. If the airfield which is reported to have been captured on Guadalcanar Island is usable and is not subject to dangerous interference by the Japanese machinesqfrom the remaining airfields, its possession by the Americans will strongly help the fleets at sea, specially if bombers from New Guinea are now being based there. The correspondent also suggests that the battle is likely to develop rather than diminish in magnitude once the Solomons are in Allied hands, and the Japanese tenure of New Britain and the Papuan forts will become increasingly precarious. It is not likely that the enemy will yield the Solomons till they are decisively defeated at sea.

If they do not try to overpower the American naval units, which include aircraft-carriers and battleships, in the Solomons area, they may well attempt a counter-offensive in strength at some other point in the south Pacific, thus hoping to draw off some of the Allied

ships and obtain a better opportunity to deal with them piecemeal. It is impossible at the present time to assess the Allied naval losses. No such operation can be carried out without severe losses, but it can be said that so far there is no indication that they have exceeded the expectations or reduced seriously the strength of the offensive.