BRIGHTER VIEWS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 108, 11 May 1942, Page 5

BRIGHTER VIEWS

PRESS COMMENT IN U.S. ‘ THIS IS A VICTORY" I 'Recd. 7.5 p.m.) New York. May 9. i In contrast to yesterday’s gloomy ■ comment on the Coral Sea battle, ! Fletcher Pratt, in the New York Post, i says: “To-day things look so good they could not look better. This is a I victory. It should be realised, howi ever, it may be a temporary victory, : and the Japanese may return reinI forced. This has been their method {throughout the war. They are extra- ; ordinarily persistent and also have j enough forces to make the next blow I harder." I Most papers somewhat disregard j General MacArthur's warning against (over-great optimism, and banner-line i the front page with “Jap Fleet smashed in great victory,” and similar | headings. j The World-Telegram commentator ; says the battle will probably decide the fate of the South Pacific. Morei over, it will affect naval strategy and I building everywhere. JAPS.’ GREATEST DEFEAT L'.S. DIVE-BOMBERS TAKE TOLL Sydney, May 9. I A correspondent oi the Sydney , Morning Herald at an advanced I Allied base, reporting the sinking of I the two large Japanese aircraftcarriers, at least one cruiser, and ( seven destroyers, and the damaging of many other ships, says that the Japanese navy suffered its greatest defeat of the Pacific war in waters close to north-eastern Australia. He says that the losses to the | enemy resulted from dive-bombers I from Ut I Stat 5 aircraft-carriers I catching a huge enemy concentration of shipping. 1 The action took place throughout , Thursday and Friday, and the whole enemy force was scattered. U.S. SUBMARINE’S TOLL OF JAP. SHIPS Washington, May 8. The Iciest American submarine operations brought the total of Japanese ships sunk by American forces to Commentators discussing the AmeriI can victory off the Solomons, describe I it as one of the major achievements of the war in the Pacific since it cuts sharply into the enemy forces, threatening their fines of communication to Australia. FURTHER BOMBER ATTACKS Melbourne, May 8. i A South Pacific High Command communique says that Allied bombers I carried out lignt attacks on enemy shipping concentrations at the LouisiI ade Islands, off New Guinea, where •one transport was destroyed. I In addition one enemy plane was destroyed at Port Moresby, when eight. Zero fighters attacked a local aeroI drome. Still another enemy plane | was shot down during reconnaissance I over Lae aerodrome. FANTASTIC CLAIMS ISSUED BY JAPANESE (Reed. 6.30) San Francisco. May 8. Tokio radio is making some fantastic claims about the Battle of the Coral Sea. says San Francisco radio. The clajms were obviously fabricated in the hope that they would elicit military information. Starting in the vicinity of the Solomons, the battle apparently extended over 192.000 square miles of water. It. is believed the action may affect Japanese operations in the Indian Ocean by forcing a new disposition of the enemy forces. <Recd. 5.5 p.m.) London, May 8. A Japanese communique claims he sinking in the Coral Sea battle of an aircraft-carrier of the Saratoga type, another of the Yorktown type and a battleship of the California type It also claims that a cruiser of the Canberra type was crippled and a battleship of the Warspite type was heavily damaged. Th' l British Admiralty states there is no truth whatever in the Japanese claim that the Warspite or any other British battleship was damaged. FULL STATEMENT AWAITED (Reed 7 p.m.) Washington. May 9. Mr. Cordell Hull. Secretary of State, told his Press conference: “It is difficult to restrain from expressions equal to the magnitude of the victory reported from the Coral Sea, but I cannot make a fuller statement until all the facts are received.”