WAR IN PACIFIC

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 197, 2 June 1945, Page 4

WAR IN PACIFIC

THE LATEST

DIFFICULT TASK. MESSAGE BY PRESIDENT. ALLIES BUILDING UP STRENGTH. (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) (Rec. 2 p.m.) WASHINGTON, June 1. President Truman, in a message to Congress, said that the primary task facing the United States ’ is to win the war against Japan as completely and as quickly as pos- , sible. “There can be no peace in the world until the. military power of Japan is destroyed with the same completeness as the power of the European dictators,” said the President. “At one time in 1943 the United States Navy was employing more than 1100 planes in the anti-submarine war in the 'Atlantic and in the middle of 1944 more than 900 1 ocean-going escort vessels. Most of the latter have been or will be sent to the Pacific. It is a fact that we have sunk more Japanese merchant tonnage than they had at the time of Pearl Harbour.” President Truman said: “As we approach Japan the density of their air power naturally becomes greater. Eighteen months ago the enemy had more than 9000 planes to guard perhaps 18,000,000 square miles. Since then we have reduced the total air power' considerably, but the area the enemy is now forced to defend has shrunk so much that the density of airpower is four or five times as great as formerly.

“Pointing out that this meant stiff fighting in the air, and possible heavy naval damage, President Truman appealed for more shipyard workers. The shifting of the ground and air strength from Europe presents a transportation problem greater and more complicated than in the initial deployment of the forces to all parts of the world. A million men and 1,000,000 tons of supplies must be moved half-way around the globe, but every day the process of transfer gained momentum. After the last war, when the only problem was getting the men home, and there was no bitter powerful enemy left to fight, it took nearly one year to complete the evacuation of 1,933,000 men. This time we plan to move 3,000,000 troops from Europe before the year passes,” said the President. “The initial equipment requirements for each man fighting against, Japan is about six tons, with an additional ton a month for maintenance.’ Japan Heavily Armed. President Truman revealed that 316 cargo vessels were being conveitecl ° help get the soldiers from Europe to the. Pacific faster, while Britain waj lending the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, and Aquitania. ~ The President said that these, add ed tf the 50 American transport vessels 800 bombers and transport planes and Such ships as the United States was able to use of the German merchant fleet, would, enable them to bring men home for discharge without interfering with the mam job ot transferring troops and equipment to the Pacific. Mr Truman said: “Our Army can deliver the heaviest blows in the Pacific and win final victory very quickly with strength which, a yem from now, will be about i ,000,000. By maintaining our Army at this size we shall be able to more than double the force we now have in the Pacific and hurl against the Japanese an overseas force larger than 3,500,000 men who were united with the Allies to crush the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe. It. is our plan that eveiy psysically.fit soldier in the United States who has not yet served overseas shall be assigned to foieign duty.” . Mr Truman said the Japanese have more than 4,000,000 troops undei arm s-~a force larger than the Germans had ever been able to put on the Western Front. In addition they have several million additional men of military age not yet serving. “We have not yet come up against the main Japanese strength,” he said. “The Japanese armies are organised into 100 combat divisions. It’s air force in spite of heavy r losses, still comprises more than 3000 combat planes. Japan is still capable of producing 1250 to 1500 planes a month in spite of our Superfortress raids. “The total American casualties on Okinawa from March 18 to May 29 were 10,221 killed and missing and 27,704 wounded. Japanese deaths to May 29 were This is an example of the increasing toughness of the war as we get closer to Tokio.

“There is no easy way to win,” President Truman said. “Military policy for the defeat of Japan calls for the pinning down of Japanese forces where they are at pre_ sent situated, keeping them divided so they can be destroyed piece by piece, and by concentrating overwhelming power on each segment which we are now attacking.”