The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE TIMES” GISBORNE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 1942 PACIFIC OFFENSIVE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20859, 11 August 1942, Page 2

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE TIMES” GISBORNE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 1942 PACIFIC OFFENSIVE

Despite the absence of any really definite news the reported attacks by Allied forces on the Japanese-occupied islands in the Aleutian and Solomon groups ■ are the most encouraging developments t'h'at have occurred in the Pacific area since the - naval and air. battle, oil' Midway Island, New Zealand has a particular interest in what appears to be. a full-scale attempt to dislodge the Japanese from the Solomons, because, these islands are- the- -nearest point at which the enemy has managed to establish himself. The removal of the thr.e'af to this couittry, however, would probably be the least of the advantages' which would accrue from the success of the present operations. New Caledonia, with its French population' of mixed 1 sentiment, is much nearer the danger zone, while the bases in the Solomofis constitute the eastern, end of the arc of island outposts covering and threatening northern Australia. Recohquest of the islands, therefore, would constitute an important stroke in the defence of the remaining' Allied possessions in this theatre. Even more important, the islands would provide an advanced base from which it would be possible to strike bhek at the' Japanese. , first in New Guinea, where their foothold has never been secure, and later in the Marshall- and Caroline, groups. These facts,, which .emphasise the strategic importance of the island's, should be sufficient to indicate that the Japanese will not yield possession of them without stubborn resistance and will be sufficient warning against jumping to any premature conclusions as to tlie outcome- of the struggle that is new proceeding... This .is the' first real challenge with which they have had to contend since their swoop across the Pacific, was checked' apd so much hinges ligqh; the fo|njtjii .tji’at they will be prepared to make great sacrifices rather than yield’ their -ground. Popsession- of thq' Solomons* is as vital to them as .it i<T to tile Allies, and, apart Irani this: important consideration there is Japanese prestige at stake. It Amulet be a serious matter for the enemy were he' to be’ deprived of die first of his gains at the first real counter-attack and the psychological effect on subsequent operations would be far-reaching. These considerations have ’ no 1 doUbt' been carefully weighed by the Pacific command and will have been reflected in the size of the force that has been used in the attack. It is not likely that they will have under-estimated the strength of the enemy,'buT'ev'Ch 'thon the operation*. must be a hazardous one and it would be unwise to assume that its success'is assured in advance. It will not. have escaped notice that the first reports of the operations have been most carefully worded, doubtless with a view to providing a curb against unwarranted optimism. To-day’s;' news that the 1 Americans have adtfidlly effected a landing in the group, however, is definitely encouraging and suggests that one of the most difficult parts of the undertaking has been achieved, although not without' some loss of ship's, which, in the circumstances, was almost inevitable. It has yet to be disclosed just where' the landing has been made and-whether it gives the Allies a. foothold from .which it wijl be possible to attack the main Japanese occupation forces. Whatever the outcome of this operation, howevef—even if it should result in a temporary reverse, which there |s no need' 'to anticipate—the mere Xacjt' that it has been undertaken at all Is an encouraging sign. It is . concrete evidence that the- Allies in the Pacific axe passing, from the defensive to..th‘c offensive. That, in turn, is evidence of the accumulation of ’ their forces and the gathering of their strength, a sign that their preparations have now reached a stage, where it is possible to attack the enemy. Whether the attack: succeeds or not, these facts remain and they, can Justly be accepted as a token of the shape off things to come. , The general position in the Pacifip is now that which has long been foreseen. The Japanese have spread out their forces from the Aleutians in thb north to the Solomons in the south, the Gilberts ancl Wake Island in thb east, and Burma in ; the west. Never in history have forces befcn so widely scattered. Their occupation of these distant points was made possible only by the surprise and -treacherous nature’ of their attack" and the unpreparedness of the Allies and thp wide disposition of their forces. Now the extent of the Japanese successes is likely to prove their weakness. A remark made recently in regard to the Allies can Well be applied to therh —they cannot be strong everywhere at once. More than that, they do not know where, or when, an attack may be made. Tliby have been attacked simultaneously on ihis occasion in the Aleutians and An the Solomons and, at the same time, strong air attacks have been made against their basefa in New Guinea. As these attacks increase in number and size, the Japanese will never know which will be the real one and which will be a feint; they will not know where to dispose their diminished forces in order to meet them. The Japanese are getting a taste of their own medicine. The first dose may be only a small one—that remains to be seen —but it is certain that each successive one will become larger and that in time the dose wilt prove fatal.