ENEMY STRATEGY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24889, 13 April 1942, Page 3

ENEMY STRATEGY

POSSIBLE MOVES RUGBY, Apl. 10. The possible course of Japanese strategy north of Australia is sketched by the Sydney correspondent of a London news agency, who says: " With the occupation of Lorengau, in the Admiralty Islands, the number of possible air bases available to the enemy in this area has been increased to nine, excluding the others they may have acquired along the area from the Admiralty Islands to the Solomons. Whether the establishment of such bases is trie beginning of 'an encircling movement of Port Moresby to tie up with a future drive from Timor, or the Moluccas, through Arafura to the Gulf of Carpentaria, or whether it is the first stepping-stone to bypass Port Moresby for a drive towards New Caledonia, and possibly New Zealand, remains to be seen. ■

"At the moment the Japanese are known to occupy Lorengau, Finschafen, Lae, Salamaua, Kavieng, Rabaul, Gasmala, Buka, and Faise in a long chain extending more than 1000 miles, which means that they must get supplies from centres like Truk and Palau. "The establishment of each additional base must create new problems of simply. Unless they intend to create" a number of air operational bases for the purpose of dispersing aircraft and carrying out surprise attacks on advanced Australian bases, it is difficult to see what the Japanese gain by the occupation, for example, of Lorengau, but whatever the Japanese intention Rabaul clearly remains the key of the situation. If we smash Rabual we smash the whole Japanese .chain north-east of Australia. By retaking Rabaul we ourselves would obtain a vital base for hammering Truk, without which the Japanese could no longer retain their hold of the islands south of the equator." PORT MORESBY RAID TWO PLANES SHOT DOWN .RUGBY, Apl. 10. An Australian communique states that several Japanese bombers, escorted by fighters, raided Port Moresby this morning for the twenty-fourth time. The raid lasted 20 minutes. No damage or casualties have been reported. The Japanese lost one bomber and one fighter. They sent over seven heavy bombers, escorted by fighters. The bombers managed to unload their bombs near one of the aerodromes without, however, causing either casualties or damage. They then turned ; for home with their fighters flying above them. They were soon up by pursuit planes, which, after battling with the Japanese protective screen, dived on the bombers.