PACIFIC BLOW

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24827, 25 February 1944, Page 3

PACIFIC BLOW

CARRIER PLANES NAVAL TWO KEY ISLANDS 'AMEi!I( \N TASK FORCE By Telegraph— Press Association —Copyright (Kecd. P- n, -> N'F.W YORK. Feb gi \ Pacific Fleet task force, including several hundred carrierbased aircraft, struck on Tuesday at gaipan and Tinian Islands, in the Jlariana Islands, north-west of the Caroline Group, says a United States Pacific Fleet communique. "Rear-Admiral M. A. Mitscher, v ho led the task force against Truk. commands the assault on the TJarianas." says the communique. "Army Liberator planes made coordinated attacks on Ponape and Kttsaie, air bases in the Carolines, on Monday, and Navy Liberators bombed Nauru Island. Army and Kavy planes continued the attacks on eastern Marshalls atolls." Saipan Administrative Centre The Mariana Islands are 700 miles north-west of Truk and 1300 miles south-east of Tokyo. Saipan is the administrative centre and the most important island of the Marianas. Tinian is 2} miles from Saipan. The two islands form the key to the defence of the Marianas The Associated Press states that this daring foray into the Marianas took American warships 700 miles closer to Tokyo than in their lunge at Truk. Saipan harbour probably contained some units of the enemy fleet. Tinian is a naval and air station. Both islands are used as staging bases Naval Bombardment Probable The United Press correspondent says major units of the United States Fleet apparently backed up the aerial attack with a bombardment. The Pearl Harbour correspondent of the New York Times says that thanks to Admiral Ximitz's unquestionable genius and his audacious commanders carrying out amazing orders, the Pacific war clocks have been reset. The Marianas are only 745 miles from the Benin Islands, which, with Marcus Island, now stand between us and Tokyo —the only remaining obstacles on a long road that somehow turned out to be"not nearly as long as everyone recently thought. Losses at the Marianas are expected to be light, because there is every reason to believe that the enemy was again taken by surprise. MARIANA ISLANDS SCENE OF NEW ATTACK ONCE A SPANISH COLONY The American air attacks on two Japanese bases, Saipan and Tmian, in the Mariana Islands, otherwise known as the Ladrones, may be part of the aggressive reconnaissance of the Central Pacific Command and also extended protection oi the American consolidation of their captures in the Marshall Islands. The attack is also likely to retard repairs at iruk, which was assaulted by carrier-borne aircratt last week The Marianas extend nurtiiwaru trom near the centre of the Caroline Islands, forming a chain about 400 miles long. Tins chain continue; furthei north in the Bomn Islands and is only a little east of the meridian ot iokyo and Yokohama. Southernmost of the group, although often regarded as separate from it is the island ot Guam, which, until Japanese forces captured it about two vears aero, was a Lnited states naval station '1 lie Marianas proper consist of 15 islands. The 10 northernmost are hilly and volcanic, with few inhabitants, but the rest are formed of coralline limestone and are comparatively low Sugar and Cattle Saipan, which nas the only good harbour, is the administrative centre, 'I he island measures about lb miles by nine miles, and is a large producer of sugar, the plantations being worked mainly with Japanese indentured labour Julian, immediately to tne south, has an area of 20 square miles and is noted for its herds of wild cattle. The native inhabitants are of mixed Polynesian, Melanesian and Malay descent and were reported some years ago to be decreasing. In 1935 the population was stated to comprise nearly 40,000 Japanese, exclusive of indentured labourers, and 4300 Guam, which has an area of 225 square miles, compared with 245 square miles, for the Marianas, carried a population of 22.500 in 1039 Changes in Ownership Magellan, on the expedition which first circumnavigated the globe, discovered the islands in 1521 and named them the Ladrones, meaning Roboers," because the natives stole a boat and other things from his ship, leading him to land a party and take vengeance. Spain occupied the group in 1-565 and for more than a centurv was engaged against the warlike inhabitants, the Charnorros. who were eventually exterminated or driven away. In 1665 the wroup was formally named after Maria Anna of Austria, widow ol Philip IV of Spain who had «ent missionaries there - After the Spanish-American Spain ceded Guam to the United States in 1898 by the Treaty of Paris, and in the following vear sold the remaining islands, together with the Carolines and Marshalls, to Germany, for £840,000 Japanese forces captured and occupied them soon after the outbreak of war in 1914 and .Japan received a mandate over them in 1919. On leaving the League of Nations in 1935 she asserted sovereignty and her intention of keeping them as permanent possessions. JAPANESE BOASTING ALLIED sea power doomed fflecd. s. 15 p.m.J LONDON. Fob '2l "When the Allied navy approaches further into Japanese defences, our nar .v will deal the most, spectacular coup de tirace in the world's naval history," said Admiral Takahnshi. former Commander-in-Chief of the .Japanese Fleet, in a speech quoted by the 'lokyo radio. He added: "We may have ample time to seize Australia after the enemv fleet has been sent to a watery grave." CURFEW IN NEW YORK Round-up of young girls NEW YORK. Feb. 2,' i A 10 o'clock curfew for girls under 16 comes into force in New York tonight. On the night of Washington's birthday holidav, Februan 22, the police planned a drive against girls_in their teens who throng New York with servicemen. Similar curfew laws have been enacted in 500 United States cities. Ofli- ? ls d figures show the following increases i? the arrests of girls in the past year: *.°r drunkenness. 39 per cent; prostitution, 6-1 per cent: vagrancy, 124 per 5 Sent. '