JAPAN’S LOSS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21548, 30 October 1944, Page 3

JAPAN’S LOSS

NAVAL STRENGTH REDUCED - TO HALF U.s. ADMIRALS’ VIEWS SUPREME TEST TO COME (10 a.m.) WASHINGTON, Oct. 29. Admiral Chester Nimitz, Comman-der-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, in a speech, said the smashing defeat in the Philippines had rendered the Japanese Fleet incapable ot challenging any sizeable portion of our fleet for soirie time to come.

Reviewing the American advance in the Central Pacilic, Admiral Nimitz said that in the past year wc had captured 13 major bases, rendered many more valueless and killed 8000 firstline troops up to the beginning of the Philippines campaign and isolated another 95,000 troops. Nine hundred enemy ships had been sunk or damaged in the past five months and more than 3000 aircraft had been lost in the air and on the ground. The American Fleet had sustained meagre losses.

“The enemy has been routed completely. He has sneaked away as best he could in his battered and crippled ships,” added Admiral Nimitz. “That is just a taste of what lies in store for him whenever he heals his wounds and returns for more action. The time wil come when our fleet, unhampered by the necessity of guarding troops employed in seizing bases, will seek out the Japanese fleet wherever it may be and completely destroy it.” “We have completed a number of essential preliminaries to tackling the main enemy strength,” lie added. "The Supreme test will come in the year ahead.” Admiral E. J. King, Commander-in-Chief of the United States Navy, in a speech, said the Philippines battle had reduced the Japanese fleet "to not more than half its maximum strength.” The Associated Press says that Admiral King was obviously referring to Japanese fire-power and lighting ability rather than the number of warships. Victory Over-Emphasised Some circles in Washington feel that the naval victory in the Philippines has been over-emphasised by the press and radio inasmuch as the action was by no means a decisive one by which the Japanese Navy can henceforth be written off. A competent naval observer stated that, although the Japanese Navy has reached a new low figure, our capital ships will not be able to move in immunity to bombard strongly-held enemy shores or to support landings. He said the danger of mines would be a hindrance to the American Navy’s pursuit of the enemy into home waters.

The New York Times’ correspondent in Washington says that the Japanese in the next few months are expected to wage a furious battle of repairs to get their damaged ships back into fighting trim. Therefore, it is a logical assumption that American air power, including Super-Fortresses, Liberators and carrier planes, will exert every effort to damage Japanese naval repair yards.