PACIFIC BATTLES

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 June 1942, Page 5

PACIFIC BATTLES

IMPORTANCE OF AIR POWER JAP. LOSSES TENFOLD HONOLULU, June 17.. Rear Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet), in a speech when awarding medals to heroes of the Pacific battles, particularly congratulated the crews of aircraft-carriers and air groups. “Air power has taken a leading role,” he said. “Fleet engagements will increasingly do so in future.” Admiral Nimitz promised that new carrier groups would be speedily organised, and would soon give the naval men who were now on duty in the Pacific a well deserved rest. In summing up the Pacific naval battles, Admiral Nimitz said: “In every meeting of the opposing forces since December' 7, Japanese losses have greatly exceeded ours. In tne Coral Sea and Midway Island actions the Japanese personnel losses were at least ten times as great as ours. Japanese aircraft losses were in about the same ratio.”

CORAL SEA AND MIDWAY. RUGBY, June 18. The conclusions drawn from the Coral Sea and Midway battles by the British naval commentator, H. C. Ferraby, aic that the Japanese paid the penalty for unsound tactics and lost the initiative. The Japanese reverses, he writes, show the American Pacific Fleet was fully capable of large scale offensive operations in widely separated areas, thousands of miles distant from the main bases. The Japanese found that basic sea strategy, garnered by- sea fighters throughout 2000 years, cannot be flouted with immunity, even if the air power brought a new influence to bear. It is too early to conclude that air power alone decided the battles. It is true that land-based planes took a prominent part at Midway, but it is probable that it was the American floating aerodromes and supporting warships that caused the Japanese withdrawal. A ship to ship encounter under the circumstances, held for the Japanese admiral the possibility of a crushing disaster, which might decide the Pacific war. The Japanese were apparently taken by surprise, bom at Midway and Coral Sea, yet they had warning enough, as the southern invasion ports had been visited daily by Allied machines. Early successes apparently made them rash, and they paid the penalty. The Coral Sea and Midway were the first naval battles in history in which aircraft were fully employed in large numbers. Their use had forced an early decision. admiraltTflagship (Recd. Noon) WASHINGTON, June 18. Admiral King, Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet, has transferred his flag from the Vixen to U.S.S. Dauntless, 1255 tons, which was formerly a converted yacht, owned by Mrs. Dillman. POST-WAR PLANS. BALTIMORE, June 17. Mr. Sumner Welles (Assistant Secretary of State) addressing a United Nations rally, advocated a coolingoff period after the war, with a view to avoiding the tragic experiences after the last war. Ho added: “Final peace terms should wail until the immediate task of defeating the Axis has been completed.” Regarding economic problems Mr. Welles said: “The existing lend-lease agreements pledging a freer international trade between signatories form a possible basis for economic recuperation in the post-war world, in which we will be confronted with a gigantic task in converting our war industries to peace time uses as well as the relief of millions of homeless, of devastated cities, and of wasted farms.” aeriaTpilots. WASHINGTON, June 17. The “American Journal of Aviation” in a strongly-worded editorial, i complains that the United States Army Air Force spends 312 million dollars for the establishment of training facilities while it has persistently been repudiating offers made to it of the use of vast civilian air facilities, capable of training 180,000 pilots annually. The paper explains that the present military and naval facilities are only capable of producing at the most, 50,000 pilots annually, which, in view of the expectable plane production, will result in a serious shortage of pilots.