Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1942. THE SOLOMONS AND GLOBAL WAR.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 October 1942, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1942. THE SOLOMONS AND GLOBAL WAR.

yyiIATEVER the place of relative importance it is destined 1 to take ultimately in the world war, the battle now being fought in the Solomons group and its vicinity has an important and far-reaching bearing on developments in many, parts of the Pacific.- Amongst. other things, the outcome of this battle will go far to determine whether a Japanese invasion of Australia or New Zealand,'or of both these countries is or is not likely to be attempted.

AVliile it is clear that the conflict centring on Guadalcanal’ has reached a high pitch of intensity, with land, sea and air forces engaged, and there are suggestions of the possibility of a major naval action, little has been made known about the present and probable balance of strength in the battle, fheie have been some reports of a strong force of Japanese capital ships being sighted in the vicinity of Guadalcanal’, but the Allies naturally arc saying little that is informative about their own naval and other dispositions. One of Saturday’s cablegrams, however, quoted an observation by the “Sydney Sun. that:—

The Solomons have become the cockpit of the Pacific, gradually drawing greater and greater forces until the clash has become one of first-rate magnitude.

Against this might be set some recent indications that the Allies are limiting their effort for the time being because the task of. defeating Japan takes second place to that of defeating Germany. The possibility has to be considered, however, that an. essential aim of the Allies may have been to conceal their actual intentions, and preparations, where tile Solomons and other vital areas in the Pacific are concerned.

With the outcome of the battle in the Solomons yet to be determined and much to be learned as to the scale on which the Allies have meantime prepared for offensive action in the Pacific, it may be noted that an apparently strong case is made out for the view that vigorous and powerful immediate action on this side of the world is one of the most promising contributions that could be made to total victory in the war.'

Pertinent observations on this subject were macle, in an article in the “Christian Science Monitor” last month, by Mr Joseph C. Harsch, a staff correspondent of that paper who returned recently to the United' States after spending some time in Australia. According to some versions, Mr Harsch stated, there are as few as ten Japanese divisions holding Singapore, the East Indies, Borneo, New Guinea and the Solomons.

The Japanese, in other words (he added), have been permitted by General MacArthur’s weakness in offensive power to move the bulk of their attack troops to places where they threaten Russia in the back.

Tn a broad survey of the situation Mr Harsch says it is the mature and objective judgment of many qualified experts, including Americans, that offensive action from Australia as a base represents the quickest and most effective means of aiding Russia and China, whose armies “are the greatest military assets the United Nations possess today.” As regards not only the outcome of the battle in the Solomons, but very much broader issues, a great deal is likely to depend on the extent to which the Allies have or have not acted on the views Mr Harsch has thus placed on record.