MOVE AGAINST JAPS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 November 1943, Page 5

MOVE AGAINST JAPS.

U.S.A. LANDINGS IN GILBERTS

FIRST BLOW IN .CAMPAIGN

Large Fleet Co-operating

NEW YORK, November 21. United States troops have landed on Makin and Tarawa Islands, in the Gilberts. Marines and Army troops, covered by forces of all vyteb, estab lished beachheads They met.moderate resistance on Makin, and sUon* resistance o£ Tarawa. Liberator bombers made diversionary attacks on the Marshalls. Powerful units of the Pacific Fleet covered both landings. Fighting is continuing. The move is regarded as the first blow m the long awaited Allied offensive in the Centr American Marines went ashore in landing barges at dawn on Saturday, after the enemy positions had been shelled by American warships, and heavily bombed by land-based Liberators as well as by carrier-borne aircraft Both of the atolls were subjected to a terrific night-long prernnvasion hammering. The American land forces ore under inc comninnct of. Lieutenant-General Robert Richardson, while the whole operation is under the direction of Aamrral Nnnnrhe move is seen by some coin-* mentators as an arm of a three-prong-ed drive against the Japanese. The second wrong is being thrust out fiom General MacArthur’s South-west Pacific area, while the third is anticipated from Lord Louis Mountbatten’s South-east Asia Command. A correspondent ol the Associated Press of America at Pearl Harbour savs that the landings are the first major United. States offensive blow of •the war in the Central Pacific. . They followed a week of aerial bombing b Liberators and carrier-based aircratt against Japanese strongpoints in the Gilberts and Marshalls. Another correspondent 01 the Associated Press says that landings on such atolls are “win. die, or retreat operations.” The fact that on Tarawa have been able to hold out in strength for more than 24 horns is taken to indicate that bitter fighting is in progress, while the statement that the Americans have met onlv moderate opposition on Makin indicates that they may soon be in complete control. .NAVAL BATTLE PROSPECTS A United Press correspondent says that one of the greatest Amei ican ai - madas ever assembled, is cruising m the Central Pacific. “If Japanese send out their fleet to resist the Am ; erican move,” he says, “a major naval battle may develop.” It has; not been disclosed from what base the Allied invasion force was dispatcher, but the Ellice Islands, on which American marines secured bases on September 4, are only 700 miles southeast of Tarawa. (The occupation of Funafuti, in the south of the Ellice group, was announced on April 23 ot this year. On September 29 the Americans announced the occupation ol Nanomea. in the north of this group). The military correspondent of the “New York Times” (Hanson-Bald-win) says he does not think that the loss of either the Gilberts or the Maishalls would entice the Japanese fleet into action. The Allies would have to get much nearer to the Japanese home land before the enemy would risk such a dangerous throw. Baldwin savs that the offensive against the Gilberts and Marshalls implies the obvious advantages of holding these groups—“the communication lines from the American west coast and Hawaii are far shorter than to the South-west Pacific, there arc not malarial jungles, and the islands are so small that they can be taken in a brief time. Truk, a vital Japanese base would be endangered if the, Allied drive captured the Marshalls." Makin Island is the most northerly of the Gilberts. Both Makin and Tarawa lie north-east. of the Solomons and are 1600 miles from Rabauk Makin is the site of a seaplane base and radio station, while Tarawa 100 miles to the south, has a large air base. The loss of Tarawa would almost inevitably lead to the loss of the whole Gilbert group, and would expose the southern flank 01. the Marshalls. where the enemy has an important base at Jaulit. Makin was the scene of the first American commando landing of the Pacific war, when Colonel James Roosevelt led an attack on the island and put its defences out of action for many months. The Gilbert Islands were seized by the Japanese soon after Pearl Harbour and have been several times attacked by United States Navy task forces.

AUSTRALIAN OPINION

SYDNEY, Nov. 22.

“The American occupation of Makin and Tarawa had been anticipated by military commentators in Australia,” says the special correspondent of the New Zealand Press Association. “Signs of this newest offensive move against the Japanese were seen in the recent heavy and persistent air attacks on the enemy strongpoints. The Americans have for some time been building up their forces for. a forward move in the central Pacific, and Admiral Nimitz’s recent statement, promising to “blast the Japanese from their island strongholds in the most direct manner,” was widely accepted as implying that direct assaults upon and the occupation of strongpoints in the Gilbert and possibly in the Marshall groups were intended.’The “Sydney Morning Herald, m a leading article, says: “All die Japanese outposts in the central, south, and south-west Pacific assist to screen the enemy’s great base of Truk, m the Carolines. Japan must therefore fight hard in defence of her outer shield, since the penalty for failure would be a dangerous American advance towards this centre of nc-.r power. The present manifestations ot American aggressiveness are hard to reconcile with complaints that an insufficient proportion of the United States war output is being allocated to the Pacific. It matters less that any specific Pacific command area should be supplied according to its desires than that the greatest available Allied strength should be directed against the Japanese at the points selected tn suit a sound, overall strategy.” ANOTHER LANDING. (Rec. 1.30) NEW YORK, Nov. 22. United States Marinos landed on Abemama Island, south of Tarawa.

U.S.A. PRESS COMMENTS

NEW YORK, Nov. 21.

The New York “Herald Tribune” in an editorial says: The pulse quick-; ens at the news of the Makin and Tarawa landings. The announcement means that the Pacific Fleet which has been rebuilt from the wreckage of Pearl Harbour, and been enormously strengthened by two years of mighty efforts, has been deployed at last as an offensive weapon in the vast Pacific battle. The United Press Washington correspondent says: Military experts regard the landings in the Gilberts as the second arm of a powerful pincers aimed at the big base of Truk, which is fifteen hundred miles to the westwards, and where the major portion of the Japanese fleet is based. Tarawa and Makin form primary eastern defences of Truk, which already is

threatened by the Solomons’ drive. Once Truk the sea route to Tokio would be open. The Associated Press correspondent Mr. John Hightower, says: The Gilbert Island landings will probably be followed by others on positions even more vital to the enemy’s defensive strategy. Apparently the landings are a manoeuvre to gain bases, from which to support a next move, which may be aimed against Nauru Island to the west, or against the Marshall Islands, to the north. Admiral Nimitz must keep the attack rolling fast and build up Makin and Tarawa as bases. HARD FIGHTING IN CHINA. CHUNGKING, November 21. Japanese troops, with strong bomber support, are closing in from three sides on Changteh, in the Hunan Province, the main Chinese position in Central China, reports the United Press. Changteh could be a jumping-off place for an attack on iChangsha, the capital of Hunan. 110 miles to the south-east. The Chinese have smashed a Japanese drive near Shimen, about 80 miles south of Ichang, a Yangtse port in the Hupeh Province, and are now mopping up. The Chinese are also reported to have won successes at Ichang, Kingmen, and Tangyang. The Chinese High Command , has announced that in the bitterest lighting of the last five years, 4000 to 18.000 attacking Japanese were killed in a battle in which the enemy ’.seized Tzali. 90 miles south ol (Ichang. The Japanese are using waves of aeroplanes. Lieutenant-General Joseph Stilwell’s communique reports that United Slates lighter aeroplanes continued to .support the Chinese ground forces in the Tungting Lake and Salween areas, simultaneously attacking two villages, which were set on fire. United States aircraft also intercepted Japanese cavalry crossing a river near Shihsien, killing 60 men. JAPANESE"LOSSES. (Rec. 11 a.m.) CHUNGKING, November 22. American airmen sank 142,000 tons of Japanese shipping last week, probably' destroyed 10 Zeros, and damaged four others. Chinese airmen supporting the ground troops attacked an enemy column in the Li River area, sank -0 Japanese ships and set fire to 50 oth--01 Chinese troops counter-attacked in Chihli, killing 2000 Japanese in close quarter fighting, but failed to capture the city. Japanese troops, after occupying Hsinan, Hokow, and Linli, are attempting to storm Hanshow, near Changteh, which is believed to be the major objective of the present offensive. General Stilwell’s communique states: Mitchell.bombers, in a series of sweeps off the south-east coast, shot down a transport plane, sank a gunboat and a freighter, and damaged five other freighters, and also set lire to wharves and warehouses at Swantow, and Japanese installations at Tzeli. JAPS USE POISON GAS (Rec. 12.20) CHUNGKING, Nov. 22. A special communique alleged that Japanese troops in China s rice bowl used poison gas on a large scale to frustrate the stiff Chinese resistance, and prevent Chinese counter-attacks. Written orders found on Japanese corpses will be published shortly.