ROAD TO TOKIO

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 275, 20 November 1943, Page 5

ROAD TO TOKIO

OFFENSIVE STRATEGY IN PACIFIC IMPORTANCE OF U.S. AIR BLOWS Recd. 1 a.m. New York, Nov. 19. “The continuing American air attacks on the Marshall and Gilbert Islands indicate .that the strategic spotlight of the ’ Pacific war is now moving north to th,? Equator,” says Hanson Baldwin in the New York Times.

“Quite plainly the attars by Army Liberators, which are probably based on Nanurnea, in the Ellice Islands, and Funafuti, on Canton Island, are preliminary to an assault and the the occupation of islands, strategically important, which represent, the outer shield of Japan's vast Pacific Empire. They are stationary, indestructiolc aircraft-carriers whose occupation wculd give the United States land bases from which to carry the war to the Carolines, Truk, Wake and Guam, and also outflank Japan's position at Rabaul in the South Seas, threaten the enemy supply line and signalise a strategic offensive in the Pacific.’

The New York Herald-Tribune’s commentator, Major Eliot, recalls: “General MacArthur recently claimed that the Japanese were able to copcentrate air-power at Rabaul because they were not seriously attacked in any other area.” He suggested that the repeated raids on the Marshalls and the Gilberts are partly designed to change the situation and compel the Japanese either to weaken their air-power on General MacArthur’s front or lose the Central Pacific islands for lack of defence. Recd. 10 p.m. Pearl Harbour, Nov. 19 Liberator bombers again attacked the Japanese base at Jaluit, Marshall Islands, on Thursday, starting large fires on the airfield, says an announcement from Admiral Nimitz’s headquarters. Jaluit was also attacked on Monday, when one enemy ship was set on fire and three others probably hit.

On Wednesday Liberators raided the Tarawa (Gilbert Islands) airfield, but the damage was not announced. All our planes returned Before dawn on Wednesday Japanese planes bombed Funafuti. Ellice Islands, killing two Americans and damaging several grounded aircraft.