STRENGTH GROWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24760, 7 December 1943, Page 4

STRENGTH GROWS

YEAR IN THE PACIFIC

PERIOD OF SUCCESSES FAILING JAPANESE GKIP By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Special Australian Correspondent) SYDNEY. Dec. 6 The end of the first year of the Pacific war, which started at Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, saw Japan meeting her first reverses after a period of unbroken conquest. To-day, the end of the second year, sees the Allies mounting powerful assaults against the Japanese—with the promise of much heavier blows 1 to come. The increasing failure of the Japanese sea and air power to meet the waxing Allied strength has been an outstanding feature of the past 12 months in the Pacific. Although the completion of two years of war finds the Allies still fighting merely on the outer perimeter of the Japanese defences, the year's almost unbroken successes encourage wide reflection on the optimism recently expressed by the commander of the United States_ Marines, Lieuten-ant-General Vandegrift, who said: "We now have the tools and the men to do the job. The outlook is beautiful." Central Pacific Front The most important battle event of the year was last month's opening of the Central Pacific front —the chosen theatre of the United States Navy. The invasion of the Gilbert Islands is the promised preliminary to attacks against the Marshalls. The continued Japanese failure to dispute American eea supremacy ( means that the enemy s island garrisons may become so many doomed battalions. All official announcements, however, issued a warning against hopes of quick or cheap Allied victories. The possession of tne Gilberts, where the Japanese had 23 months to fortify, cost heavily. In the Marshalls the Japanese had 24 years to entrench themselves. This Central Pacific front overShadows action in the Solomons, where, in the past 12 months, American and New Zealand troops advanced 300 miles from Guadalcanar to Bougainville. Achievements in Air American and New Zealand airmen] of Admiral Halsey's command have nowj shot down more than 2500 Japanese] aircraft. i In Solomons waters the Japanese' have lost more than 100 warships sunk as well as about 140 damaged. In New Guinea, Australian and Americans one year ago were fighting hard to clean up Japanese resistance around Buna and Gona. Gona fell on December 10. Since then the Japanese have been defeated at Wau, Salamaua, Lae, Finschhafen and Satelber^. Allied superiority has been developed both in tactics and equipment. As a testing ground for the development of jungle fighting, arms and technique, and for the tactical use of artillery, air support and the problems of aerial supply, New Guinea has made enormous contributions to the war against Japan. Calendar of Progress The calendar of outstanding events Sn the second year of the struggle in the Pacific shows: — January. —Japanese cleared _ from Papua. First large-scale Allied air raid on Rabaul destroyed 50,000 tons of enemy shipping. February.—Main Japanese resistance on Guadalcanar ended. March. —Air and sea battle of Bismarck Sea cost the Japanese 10 warships and 12 transports sunk, with an estimate of 15,000 troops drowned. April.—Thirty Japanese planes shot down in raid on Milne Bay. First Liberator raid on Tarawa, Gilbert Islands. May.—Announced that Japanese submarines sank five Allied freighters off the Australian coast. Australian hospital ship Centaur torpedoed. June. —American landing's on Rendova and New Georgia, Solomons. First 200-plane raid on Rabaul. July.—Battle of Kula Gulf, Solomons, cost the Japanese nine warships, cruisers and destroyers, sunk. August. —New Georgia captured. New Zealanders took Vella Lavella. September.—United States paratroops dropped in Markham Valley, New Guinea. Lae captured. _ October. —Series of devastating Allied air attacks on Rabaul, with more than 500 Japanese planes claimed definitely destroyed, as well as heavy shipping destruction. . November. —Landing on Bougainville, Northern Solomons. United States Marines captured Gilbert Islands. CHINESE PINCERS MOVE STRUGGLE IN "RICE BOWL" XBecd. 6.10 p.m.) CHUNGKING, Dec. 6 The Chines? have encircled the Japanese at Suchiatu, a southern suburb of Changte. Other Chinese units north-west of Changte have joined the 67th Division in a pincers movement against the Japanese in that area. The Chinese wiped out several small Japanese forces around Hsinan, west of Lake Tungting. Chinese attacks on the encircled Japanese forces are reported. United States aircraft drove off Japanese planes which tried to cover troop movements during the battle. There is no mention of fighting inside the city of Changte itself in the Chinese communique. It is announced from Major-General Chennault's headquarters in China that China-based bombers sank 49,000 tons of Japanese shipping and destroyed 33 enemy aircraft for the loss of three during November. • Mitchell bombers and fighters- attacked Japanese-held installations near Changte, in the Chinese "rice bowl," probably destroying four and damaging four intercepting Zeros, says a communique from General Stilwell's headquarters. # Our planes dropped food and ammunition for the Chinese forces in the Tehhan Mountains, near Changte, and strafed 200 boats on Lake Tungting, inflicting casualties. Two of the United States planes are missing. REHABILITATION WORK ADMINISTRATION'S TASKS WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 "The fate of the United Nations' mutual efforts to assure the world of the security of a lasting peace may be largely influenced by the success of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration conference," said the director, Mr. Herbert Lehman, in a broadcast; "The work of the administration," he added, "will embrace emergency relief under four main classifications:—(l.) Supplies such as food, fuel, clothing and shelter; (2) services, including health, welfare and repatriation; (3) supplies for rehabilitation, such as seeds, fertilisers. raw materials and machinery; (4) assistance in the repair of public utilities, such as light, water, power, transportation, sanitation and communications. Mr. Lehman said that the administration headquarters will be in Wash-ington-with a regional office in London for Europe. The site for the Orient had not yet been chosen. CANADIAN LIVING COSTS OTTAWA. Dec. 5 Canadian Prices Board officials stated that the cost of living in Canada had increased only 3.3 per cent in the two years since the adoption of price control. Prior to that the cost of living had increased 14.6 per cent from the outbreak of the war.