The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ABE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28. 1942. NEW ZEALAND AND THE SOLOMONS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 255, 28 October 1942, Page 2

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ABE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28. 1942. NEW ZEALAND AND THE SOLOMONS

'P'lfM thoughts of many Now Zcalanders in these clays are in Egypt, where- our Division, now numbered amongst the veterans of desert lighting, i:. once again in ilie forefront of the battle. The preceding campaigns have enabled us to gain some familiarity with the nature of the operations, and we are fully aware of all that is at stake in the great offensive now launched. These circumstances, and especially the fact that New /.alanders are in the fight in Egypt, tend to cause us to give less attention than is warranted to the other campaign, in the Solomon even though our interest is more immediately and directly involved m I, [Mainly, Hie Solomons campaign is reaching, or may already have readied, a erilieal stage for the American defenders. Not only have Hie earlier high hopes that the original landing was only Hie fit ..t stop o| an ollensive been disappointed, but the prospect that the foothold g.uncd in that landing can be held is uncertain. It is a prospect which may he transformed, if the United States naval forces ii. t he aiea aie strong enough, but even in that event the marines anel soldiers would still have a bitterly hard fight on their hands. The difficulty of reinforcing them is illustrated by the admission that it was while covering the movement of reinforcements and supplies that the aircraft-carrier Wasp was lost. That heavy loss makes the retention of the airfield at Guadalcanar even more important.

In these circumstances, and in the light of the announcement some time ago that a New Zealand force might be dispatched to another theatre of war, the ejucstion of the Pacific commands, now so much discussed in the Lmted States, becomes of direct interest to the Dominion, rhe statement is made repeatedly that the divided command has been largely responsible for the Americans' losses. As to the truth of that t.he layman, at this distance, would hesitate to judge. A change in \vihrTh^, d v hQS \ b i° en w'm 0 ' b, , lt the reasons for it are not disclosed. Whether V co-Admiral Ghormley was removed because of his handling of the naval forces under his control, or because there was dissatisfaction Tii lu sSencral5 Sencral conduct of sea, land and air operations, we cannot tell C ear 13 h , e ? as been re P ,accf l by another admiral, whose distinguished record includes command of the daring attack on the Japanese strongholds in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. He is now to control land as well as sea forces This system has been the sole concern . thp United States but if a New Zealand force is to operate under American direction it becomes New Zealand's concern too It is to be hoped that the War Cabinet is giving its utmost attention to the question, and that it is exerting its influence to secure a completel? unified direction of the war in the Pacific. The first need would wm to be for political unity of direction, and the Pacific War Council which is an advisory body, does not meet that need. c