AGAINST RABAUL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 79, 3 April 1943, Page 5

AGAINST RABAUL

KEY JAPANESE BASE Believed Aim Of Newly-planned Allied Strategy WASHINGTON, April 2. The newly-planned Allied strategy in the' South-west Pacific will be aimed primarily against the key Japanese base of Rabaul, in the opinion of well-informed circles in "Washington. It is believed that the capture of this base, even at heavy cost, might completely break the enemy's hold on the occupied territories in that sector. However, no indication has been given of the plans formulated at the meeting of Pacific war staffs. "From what is known of the conversations," says Joseph Harsch in the Christian Science Monitor, "it can be assumed that the principal considerations were:—(l) Fullest coordination of the three Pacific commands in the operations decided upon. (2) A full exchange of information about the enemy's condition, with cross-checking of the estimates of his likely course of action. Heavy Reliance On Air Power "It is difficult, however, to envisage a future major move in the Pacific without heavy reliance on air power, which necessitates substantial increases in the number of planes allotted to the Pacific. But the navy gets most of its planes from factories manufacturing exclusively for the navy. A diversion from this source would not, therefore, affect the European theatre. "Further, enough new ships have joined the fleet to transform American sea striking power. Japan has had some additions, but nothing com-

parable in numbers or quality with the new American ships. Thus the possibility increases each day of a new move in the Pacific involving big ships, the function of which will be to weaken Japanese naval power. Some such move may have been planned in the past two or three weeks. "It is certain, at least, that all the Pacific commanders are now thoroughly informed about the decisions of the Casablanca conference and the broad objective of global strategy for 1943. For the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbour each knows exactly what his expected role is and how it dove-tails into the whole plan."