CO-ORDINATED BLOWS AGAINST JAPS

Otaki Mail, 15 December 1943, Page 1

CO-ORDINATED BLOWS AGAINST JAPS

MOUNTBATTEN-MACARTHUE STRATEGY UNDER WAY NEW YORK, Dec. 13. Strategic coordination of the operations on all fronts against the Japanese is assured by the arrangements at present being worked out between Lord Louis Mountbatten’s and General MacArthur’s Headquarters, says the New York Times’ New Delhi correspondent. General MacArthur’s Chief-of-Staff, Major-General Sutherland, is at present in New Delhi en route from the Cairo Conference, and there will be a continual interchange of Anglo-American officers. The wide geographical separation of the Burma and Southwest Pacific areas precludes joint operations at present, but the offensive moves are certain to be timed together. The land attack through Burma will probably be combined with amphibious assaults on Burma and the Nicobar and Andaman Islands which are obstacles to the attacks further ahead on the Asiatic mainland and Dutch East Indies. The mountain barriers between India, and Burma and the tenuous communi-' cations must limit overland attacks! against the Japanese. The amphibious! phase of the operations must involve! some landings at bases 700 miles from, their objectives. Some of the objec-! tives are beyond the range of land based fighter support and the assaults will have to be protected by carrierbased planes. The Central Pacific attacks proved that the Southeastern Asia attacks are thoroughly feasible and once positions are established in Burma and the island groups a wide range of possibilities will be opened for swift moves ultimately planting Mountbatten’s forces across the Southeast Asia peninsula on the shores of the China Sea and controlling Singapore and Sumatra. Some of the initial moves might not long be delayed.