SWIFT FINISH

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 147, 23 June 1945, Page 5

SWIFT FINISH

WAR IN PACIFIC

General Marshall Outlines

American Policy

N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 12.30. WASHINGTON, June 22. "Our policy for conducting the Pacific war is not only to have enough to beat Japan in the end but to employ all the forces we can engage in order quickly to conclude the war," said General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff •.>* the United States Army, addressing the House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee.

Economy, lives, materials and the American peoples' phychology demand we mount a swift, powerful offensive, forcing victory at the earliest possible moment," he added. "I hope the successive victories will enable us to reduce the size of our Army very soon." General Marshall pointed out that American losses in most cases were smaller than those of the enemy fighting from prepared positions, due to the. preponderance of Allied equipment and fire-power. General Marshall said as an example of how that preponderance would be increased; 1,550,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Germany in the last two years, but 2,700,000 would be dropped on Japan next year alone. The purpose of such bombing was so to level the defences that the Allies could take their objectives without the heavy losses which otherwise would be incurred. The same idea applied to artillery and ammunition. American ground troops over the last two years had fired 3,160,000,000 rounds of large and small ammunition against the Germans. It was estimated that 3,000,000,000 rounds would be needed against the Japanese. The committee, in a closed hearing, approved a grant of 38,500,000,000 dollars for the War Department.

The maximum bombing of Japan, said General Marshall, would be attained by March or April next, but before the end of this year the United, States -would.,be using 1000 Sliper Fortresses daily for attacks on Japan. He added that there would be a British air force operating in the 'Far East as well as the British Pacific Fleet.