AMERICAN NAVY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 17 April 1944, Page 5

AMERICAN NAVY

READY TO STRIKE AT JAP FLEET

CONSTANT SEARCH FOR BATTLE Rugby, April 15. “The American Navy is now so strong that it can seek to create opportunities to strike at the main Japanese fleet and its bases,” said Admiral King. United States Naval Commander-in-Chief, reviewing strategy in the Pacific. He estimated that Japanese cargo shipping had been reduced by one-third and announced that the United States had increased the number of its warships by 130 per cent. Admiral King said: “United States forces are constantly seeking to catch the Japanese off their guard. We have done this time and time again. At Kwajelein we caught the Japanese planes on the ground on the first day of the attack. Not many were able to get into the air. and we shot down most that did. On the second day, so complete had been our surprise that, of the few planes that came up to offer resistance, not one attacked our surface forces. That was possible only because complete militery secreev of Dlans as well as movement of ships was maintained. “W e do not underestimate our enemies. We give them credit for determination, tenacity, skill and ingenuity as well as savage regard for humanity and the lives even of their own.

“For the first time since the war with Japan began we are well on the way to having an adequate number of ships, planes and supplies, so that when we find a soft spot we can strike with overwhelming force. Heretofore, in the battle of the Coral Sea and at Midway and in the Solomons we tore great gaps in the Japanese outer defences, but on each occasion lacked th e reserve of ships and aircraft which would enable us to follow up and capitalise our hard-earned opportunities, ATTRITION CAMPAIGN “So far it has been impossible, for lack of Japanese co-operation, to stage a major sea battle; so we are seeking opportunities to strike whereever we can get within range of their warships or bases, and I think you will find that within the next few months we shall create more of these opportunities. I have only to cite the recent successful attacks on Palau, Yap. and Moleai Islands. “We have reduced Japan’s merchant fleet to not more than twothirds of what it was when we were attacked. We have sunk well over 2.000.000 tons of her cargo tonnage, and so seriously damaged her fleet of warships that she can never make up losses by building new fighting ships or repairing those damaged. One indication that the shipping problem has become acute is the wide use of self-propelled barges, many of wood, for long inter-island hauls of men and materials. “If Japan had enough ships she would never resort to such transportation. We have sunk or damaged by submarine action at least 600 merchantmen. Japan cannot stand such a rate of losses for any length of time, and keep her empire together. “In the Atlantic we have-reduced the submarine situation from a menace to a problem. We know that Germany is concentrating on building submarines to the exclusion of other shipbuilding, and we know how many she is producing, but it is unlikely that Hitler will be able to terrorise the Atlantic shipping lanes again as he did two years ago. JAPANESE HOPE “While we were pulling ourselves together after Pearl Harbour, the Japanese quickly overran large areas in the Far East. They reasoned, rightly, that if they succeeded in retaining the inner portion of these areas they would have won the war. The outer ring of islands which they occupied serves chiefly as their fighting front. Through their persistence in holding these islands they hope to make our advance so costly that we will give up the effort to break into the inner defence. “But, whatever the cost, we know we cannot regard victory in the Pacific as anything short of the dissolution of the Japanese Empire as a military power. We must deliver the heaviest attacks of which we are capable as frequently as we are able, where they will hurt most. This will require every ship, landing-craft, plane and every piece of material and all trained personnel that can be made available. ,-.:‘.° Ur , fleet is growing at a pace little short of miraculous. Since July 1, 1940, the navy has increased the number of its warships by 130 per cent. W e have built th e greatest. fleet of supporting vessels and landing-craft the world has ever seen. W e have tripled the fire power of our fleet. We have multiplied our air force by 14. We have expanded personnel almost 15 times. Operations we have carried out in recent weeks are evidence that accumulated experience of previous campaigns has been made to count. As time goes on the Japanese will learn that we are not relying on socalled orthodox methods of warfare We are meeting each situation as it arises, or as we can create the situation, and our enemies are finding that when we strike we now have force behind us to carry the strike through to the finish. We can look forward with resolution and confidence to future triphibious naval operations now that we have the men, guns and planes to carry them out.”