DANGER NOT OVER

Evening Star, Issue 24447, 8 March 1943, Page 3

DANGER NOT OVER

(N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent)

SYDNEY, March 7. A Washington message quotes an American air force general as saying that with no inore than 7 per cent, of the United States monthly output of planes he would guarantee to blast his way right to Tokio. In Australia Federal Ministers emphasise that the victory in the Bismarck Sea does not necessarily mean security in the Southern Pacific' " Our worry to-day is that people are too inclined to complacency," declared the Miuister of Shipping and Supply, Mr J'. A. Beasley, who said that the safer the Australians felt the more reluctant they were to stand up to their responsibilities.

In a warning that the enemy would make new attacks, Mr Beasley added that if the war ended to-morrow with the Japanese still in possession of the occupied islands peace would be merely a respite with an inevitable new war in 20 years or sooner.

The famous American war -,nows analyst, Mr Raymond Gram Swing, says that the Bismarck Sea convoy was part of a planned serjes of Japanese moves having the direct invasion of Australia as their ultimate aim. But whatever the basis for this conjecture, there is unlikely to be any. confirmation from the Japanese, who have not mentioned the disastrous battle in any news broadcasts.

" The Japanese weather man has probably committed hara-kiri by now," commented a senior Allied Air .Corps officer when discussing a factor contributing to the obliteration of the enemy armada. " Although flying conditions were far from perfect for a great part of our air operations, a heavy storm being used by the convoy as a protective cover, yet this did not extend as far south as was evidently expected. Our aircraft were able to find holes in the clouds' through which to make their strikes."-

WARNING TO AUSTRALIANS