ENEMY IN ALEUTIANS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 169, 29 April 1943, Page 3

ENEMY IN ALEUTIANS.

AMERICAN ATTACK POSSIBLE.

MOVES BY JAPAN REPORTED.

NEW YORK, April 27

Attu and Kiska, in the Aleutian Islands, are the subject of increasing conjecture among war observers. Suggestions that the United States will shortly make efforts to recapture the islands from Japan have been countered by suggestions that Japan is preparing the islands as a base for attacking the west coast of America. The Secretary of the Navy (Colonel Frank Knox) told a press conference that the west coast must be prepared for nuisance raids anywhere at any time. However, the possibility was not dangerous because of the improvement in the American defences, and the fact that the enemy forces were being increasingly engaged elsewhere. The Tokio radio to-day warned the Japanese that the United States was feverishly establishing large munitions dumps and strong bomber and fighter concentrations in Alaska and the American-held Aleutian islands, principally Kodiak. The radio said that the islands “point like stepping stones towards Tokio,” and added that American boasts of forthcoming air attacks on Japanese cities should not be taken too light-heartedly.

“Attu and Kiska are hard nuts to crack,” says the Associated Press correspondent in Alaska. “The Japanese will be expelled only at the cost cf much American blood.”

Comparing the operations with the conquest of Guadalcanal-,- the correspondent says that while the American landings oil Guadalcanal’ were unopposed, the enemy in the Aleutians will he ready to repel attempted landings. The only beaches suitable for the effort are well covered with artillery. Weather difficulties will certainly he encountered. American air atacks against the Japanese positions are reported so far to have been largely ineffective. “Our pilots have dropped millions of pounds of bombs and have drawn perhaps a nose bleed,” writes the correspondent. “Japanese installations on Kiska were attacked 13 times on Sunday by formations of Army aeroplanes,” states a United States Navy communique. “Liberators, Mitchells, Warhawks, and Lightnings participated. Although bomb hits were made on enemy positions, poor visibility prevented complete observation of the results. A group of Liberators attacked Attu and scored hits on runways and other installations.”