EDITORIAL.

Duffy's Gen, Issue V, 24 February 1945, Page 2

EDITORIAL.

PACC .’PROSPECTS,

With events in Europe drawing daily nearer to the grand climax many , h ■ »juestioni: ■ about the war in- the Pacific are being pondered by servicemen 1 i • in t£.is area. It is a long time since Guadalcanal was the Pacific . , • ;front lino and enemy bombs fell on Santes, Since then the-war has moved . iprogressively further north, until today the main battle area is in the . - 1 > faraway Philippjnese \ * - h let .still the Jape remain stubbornly in''possession .or in part, poss- • » j osgion of many islands of the , South Pacific, and still the 'ft'-N; Z 1 Ac 11. has I ;tc carry tne burden of one of the dreariest tasks of the whole global, war , ! I~ that of a garrison Air Force. :..n the steamy heat pf the Solomons and • .•associated islands?'. In-recent months the Australian forces'have made a. .; [start with the task, of cleaning 'dp these islands, but bow long the job " . ? will take no. one. has ventured to predict?' Possibly it will have to ‘ j jwait the conclusion, of the European war and the release'’.of an adequate jnumb of ground troops, or perhaps it will.’be completed sooner than ex- ■ ’• Ipectedo ’ In any case the present scale of air strength will have to be J maintained until the military operations arc completed* .'7 An?' what then?' • '7hc L will happen when the last Japs in the area j' |have -beer/-killed' or taken prisoner? • ■ ; z , ! :* Ip las to be' recognised that a certain minimum of air 'strength will ' j. [have .to. be . maintained in the ’ islands until the end of the war, and prob- . ! rably afterwards* 'The,Pacific can never return to the state of unprep- J miredrccs that existed before this war;.. certain strategic air. and-naval ' 1 prases wil 1 have to be retained as an insurance against the repit it ion ■ •of = ; the events of the past. few yd ?rd* ' And it is reasonable to..expect . P •r that Australia and New Zealand will have, the main responsibility for • • .garrisoning; bases on British Territory ,in this area.-. ■ It is part of the. j rice to pay for our security in. the future. Probably, ever/, the small- * | o;.;t island stepping-stones will not be entirely neglected in the years to- • -come-, , ' . . ■' j • -i' . ... ; .'' ; At the same time many Nev Zealand airman would welcome the chance to • serve in a less trying zone of operations before -the -war ends, . Hany uno we-e Ju the Netherlands Basu Indies and llalnya in the early days / • would welcome a chance to return to the countries-Iron which .they were ejected.so unceremoniously They have not forgotten how their obsolete ■ (Buffalo aircraft were shot out of the air 'by the-Japanese, Navy .Zeros or ih.ow their A shipl were bombed, and strafed as they made their escape, nor . ' '. •: . have they- forgotten the hospital and courage of the Dutch people of the ’ Netherlands East Indies., I?>ny bf .these men- would welcome the opport- j unity to return and meet the Jap. on more even, terms, and it is hoped that they, ; they will have the opportunity as soon as the war of stagnation comes to ’ > •a close in ' the islands* - ; .• . ' • j P ; ev> 7 people think-the Pacific war will end quickly after Germany ’ s||de- { ifeat, but many KJk Z. ATh personnel are looking forward to a more intetr- i Jesting task, 'before it as nil over* * » ’ !