The Grey River Argus Tuesday, October l9, 1943. JAPAN’S STAYING POWER.

Grey River Argus, 19 October 1943, Page 4

The Grey River Argus Tuesday, October l9, 1943. JAPAN’S STAYING POWER.

The special mission from Britain now here to study the requirements of Pacific warfare, illustrates a feature of that warfare which bears emphasis. It is that the enemy, now that his initial advantage has largely' been halted, is no longer such a problem to hold as to defeat. In weapons of attack the Allies have demonstrated superiority in quality. Every day enemy aircraft losses are incomparably the greater. The idea, however, that they were too large to be sustained has given way to a recognition that as yet they can be replaced. There appear, even now to be more Japanese than Allied aircraft in the South-west Pacific, but even so the Allies are gaining ground through the agency mainly of their air superiority. The ground forces engaged are I’elativelv small. The head of the British Mission has indicated an attitude regarding the Pacific campaign quite as optimistic as regarding the European campaign, but reiterates that Britain is yet so preoccupied, with the latter as to have meantime to postpone the training of men for the former. On the other hand, he holds out the hope that a decision in Europe may come sooner than meantime would appear, and his opinion must be taken as an authoritative one. It implies, nevertheless, that a quick decision in the Pacific is not to be expected. For instance. Britain has now undertaken after Germany has been overcome, and after her forces can be trained for the very different type of warfare here, to send out all of those forces that she can spare. Obviously, therefore, no expectation of peace in the Pacific for some appreciable time to come is entertained by the. United Nations, though they cert-

ainly may anticipate that once able to concentrate" o.n Japan, short work can be made of her. In

this connection it is said that the attitude of Russia to Japan may be reviewed at the coming Moscow conference for the first time in United Nations negotiations. The Soviet is reported to be anxious above anything for a quick settlement in Europe, and this attitude, in view of Russia’s ordeal, is understandable. It still is expressed in a demand for a second front, meaning such another invasion of the Continent in another place as will entail the removal from the Russian front of anything up to sixty 7 German divisions. Such a development is indicated, but precisely when it is for the Allied High Command to decide in the light of the general. situation. It can be at least taken for granted that Japan, while shepherding her navy, will use the interval before Germany’s fall to perfect, her inner defences to the utmost. This must be a leading consideration in the strategy of Britain and the United States, and may explain why they appear to be hastening’ so comparatively slowly in implementing their, plans for an offensive in the Pacific. The Japanese are noted for tenacity, and even have shown it by their slow withdrawal after naval and air defeats in the South-west Pacific. There is, indeed, no sort of comparison between the intensity of the warfare in the Pacific and that in Europe. As the head of the British Mission points out, the conditions are vastly different. The Japanese in many respects are as tough a problem in this theatre as are the Gormans in the other. New Zealanders and Fijians are going increasingly into the fray 7 alongside Australians and Americans, but they 7 must expect to be called on to continue doing so. Thus the news of this enemy’s reverses in the Pacific must not be allowed to obscure the fact that he is going to stay on much longer than the other enemy. The situation in this theatre is therefore reassuring chiefly in the sense that the Japanese have reached the length of their tether, but the fact remains that they are yet going to take a lot of beating.