A LONG ROAD AHEAD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25173, 13 March 1943, Page 5

A LONG ROAD AHEAD

WAR IN THE PACIFIC JAPANESE STILL STRONG (Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, Mar. 12. To hope that the war would end soon was wishful thinking of the worst type, declared the Commandc-r-in-Chief of the Netherlands South-west Pacific forces, Vice-admiral Conrad Helfrich, in an interview here. The Japanse must be continually attacked, he said. He believed the enemy would make desperate efforts to reconquer the territory from which they had been driven in New Guinea and the Solomons. While the Allied nations had not sufficient strength for simultaneous allout offensives against Germany and Japan, sufficient forces must be concentrated in the Pacific to prevent Japanese consolidation in the conquered territories. Admiral Helfrich gave several reasons for his belief that the war against Japan would be long. “The Japanese,” he said, “ are still very strong, and will" fight to the end against overwhelming odds. We know nothing of what is going on in Japan. We know nothing of their capacity to build ships and planes. I agree that it would be a very good thing to attack Japan itself from China by air and from the sea by naval action, but,l do not think for a moment it will be enough to destroy Japan that way. Even if we succeed in doing that and sinking all the Japanese shipping, I believe we will have to fight the enemy man by man in the occupied territories.” Admiral Helfrich said the best way to stop Japanese consolidation in the islands north of Australia was by constantly attacking shipping and harbour installations from the air. . Asked what he thought of the Bismarck Sea battle, Admiral Helfrich replied: “ We should have more of them. He added that every ship lost by Japan counted enormously, and said it was unreal to talk of sea power and air power as separate entities in regard to the Pacific or any other area. Command of the sea could be achieved only by a combination of the two forces. Admiral Helfrich’s wife, two 1 sons, and two daughters were at Bandoeng, Java, when the island was occupied by the Japanese, and he has since had no news concerning them.