Sea and Air Attack on Marcus Island

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 209, 3 September 1943, Page 5

Sea and Air Attack on Marcus Island

American Task Force in Aciira (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.? NEW YORK, Sept. 1. The Tokio official radio says that many enemy planes raided Marcus Island at dawn to-day. Enemy warships also shelled it. The radio added that the island is close to Tokio and the enemy could have raided the mainianu if he had wanted to. “The United States carrier task force raid planned for to-day is presumably in progress at Marcus island,” said a naval spokesman. “This force should have arrived at the scheduled time, but no report has been received. It is presumed that there will bo none until the need for radio silence cea.ses.” Tho Associated Press points out that the navy has not previously issued a statement reporting a raid while in progress. The announcement to-day indicated the High Command’s complete confidence that the task force is so powerful that it would be able to cope with any forces which the Japanese might bring up. Marcus Island is 1000 miles southeast of Tokio. OPENING PHASE OP REAL OFFENSIVE Received Thursday, 10.35 p.m. NEW YORK, Sept. 2. Pearl Harbour observers express the opinion that the Marcus Isiand attack s.gnified the opening of a phase of the long awaited real offensive in the Pacific, says the New York Times. There are indications that further blows inside Japan’s defensive perimeter may be expected. The destruction of Marcus Island deprives Japan of an important air base which served the dual purpose of a relay point to the Marshalls and a defensive airfield less than a thousana miles from Tokio. It is recalled that Marcus Island was attacked on March 4 1942, by carrier-based aircraft, but yesterday’s announcement of both shelling and bombing operations, show that the Pacific Fleet now intends to remove Marcus Island permanently as a Japanese base whereas la3t year's operation was merely harassing. So far there is no indication of the size of the attacking forces or from where the attack came, but it is believed an Allied naval concentration of considerable power is at sea. TOKIO'S TURN COMING MELBOURNE, Sept. 2. “Yes, I can tell you this: lou won't have to wait long now,” said the United States Unaer-Secretary for War (Mr. Patterson; when asked if it is true that an Allied push against the Japanese is imminent. Already the pressure against the enemy in the north was steadily increasing, Mr. Patterson said, and as that pressure intensified the war would move further away from Australia. Military activity inevitably would increase, now that the Australians anu Americans were getting the requisite material. Military operations were dependent on supplies, and now the “pipelines” between the South-West Pacific area and its sources of supplies were being filled. Asked whether the capture of Japanese bases in tho Aleutians made it pos siblo to bomb Tokio, Mr. Patterson said: * 1 The bombing of Tokio is coming, just as sure as you're born. Every step nearer we get to Japan brings that day closer.”