DEEPER INTEREST

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 April 1943, Page 3

DEEPER INTEREST

BEING SHOWN BV AMERICANS IN PACIFIC NEED OF CHECKING JAPAN EMPHASISED BY DR. EVATT. LIMITS ON “BEAT HITLER FIRST” POLICY. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) NEW YORK, April 19. Americans had a far deeper interest in the Pacific than a year ago, the Australian Minister of External Affairs, Dr Evatt, told a Press conference here. Today, he said, they freely expressed anxiety that, by over-concentration elsewhere, the Allies might invite the Japanese, to make immediate all-out efforts in Hie Pacific.

All Americans seemed agreed that a reasonable share of their country's expanding war production should be devoted to fighting Japan, and that everything possible should be done to prevent the Japanese consolidating their economic empire. “The ‘beat Hitler first’ policy- is purely strategic,” declared Dr Evatt. “It does not mean that Germany offers the most dangerous threat to our way of life. The greatest threat in that respect comes from Japan. This is one important reason why there should be strong objections to any policy of a global war which permits the spread of Japanese ‘culture’ throughout the rich territories which she has occupied. Dr Evatt said that the future policy for the Pacific must be founded on the doctrine of trusteeship for all the Pacific peoples. Australia was vitally concerned with the standards of living in neighbouring Pacific countries. She would give full support to the forthcoming United Nations food conference, which she welcomed as being the first tangible step in the direction of the freedom from want principle of the Atlantic Charter, and as being a move toward raising the nutrition standards among the peoples of the Pacific.

Speculation on the next move being prepared by the Japanese embraces three possibilities, according to the “New York Times” correspondent, Robert Trumbull, in a dispatch from Pearl Harbour. These are: (1) An attempt to create a real salient in the Aleutian Islands west' of Alaska; (2) a move to cut the Allies’ supply line from Hawaii to Australia and New Zealand; (3) action further south, as feared in Australia. ENEMY BASES NEW DEVELOPMENT DETECTED BY AIRCRAFT. HEAVY ATTACKS ON KOEPANG. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April 19. Allied reconnaissance aircraft have reported increased Japanese activity in the Koepang (Timor) area, which has been under heavy attack by General MacArthur's aircraft on two successive days. Koepang is 470 miles northwest of Darwin, and 550 miles north of Broome. The activity there is in keeping with the general strengthening of Japanese positions to the north of Australia.

Increased enemy activity is also reported at Hollandia, the furthest point

on the northern New Guinea coast yet visited by our bombers. Another new point of Japanese occupation mentioned in today’s communique is Wald Bay, 10 miles north of Finschhafen. It is on the coastal road which the Japanese have built linking Wewak, Madang, and Finschhafen. Photographic reconnaissance shows a number of ships beached and sunk in Kavieng Harbour (New Ireland), as a result of Allied attacks.

The complete lack of Japanese air offensive activity in the areas immediately north of Australia, which has continued since last Wednesday’s heavy raid on Milne Bay, remains unbroken. Genera] MacArthur’s 1 communique today again reports that Allied activity was confined almost entirely to offensive reconnaissance operations by single bombers. AIR ACTIVITY . AMERICAN PLANES BUSY. JAPANESE BOMB GUADALCANAL. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.10 a.m.) RUGBY, April 20.

A United States Navy communique states: “Liberators on Sunday attacked Japanese installations at Munda, in the Central Solomons. Hits were scored on a runway and a large explosion resulted.

On the same night Guadalcanal was bombed by Japanese plants, resulting in slight casualties in American personnel and very slight material damage. One Japanese plane was destroyed.

“Japanese positions at Kiska,. in the Aleutians, were attacked nine times on Sunday by Warhawks and Lightnings. Seventeen tons of bombs were dropped. Hits were scored on the north head of the Salmon Lagoon and on main camp areas. Fires were started in a submarine base.”

UNDER HEAVY STRAIN ALLIED AIR FORMATIONS. SENIOR OFFICER GIVES DETAILS. (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April 20. The strain under which the Allied air forces in the South-West Pacific are fighting has been strikingly disclosed by a senior officer of the United States Army Air Corps. “We can lay honest claim to being the ‘most fighting’ outfit in this war,” he said. “Since September last year our planes have set new records for their numbers of operational missions.” The officer, who commands a Flying Fortress group, added: “In the mad month of March, which covered the Bismarck Sea battle, my own command set records which are unlikely ever to be equalled by any other heavy bombardment group in this war. During the battle, xthich lasted three days, my Fortresses were grounded only for

the time it took to refuel and reload with bombs. The crews slept while the planes were returning from attacks.”

The officer revealed that his group of Fortresses had completed 1068 sorties against the enemy, flown 8964 operational hours, shot down 119 Japanese fighters and damaged a further 56, dropped 1042 tons of bombs, and sunk 36 ships totalling 294,000 tons. “During this time we not only bombed and strafed the Japanese on land as well as over the sea,” added the officer, “but we prevented Tojo sending supplies to his starved troops. We helped to transport supplies and reinforcements to our own troops. We carried out the wounded. In a single month we completed 213 operational missions involving 1948 hours of flying.”