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STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
OF AIR SUCCESS
OVER MOLUCCAS
(From an "Advocate" War Correspondent.)
S.W. PACIFIC HEADQUARTERS, Monday.-The battle for
air supremacy in the Moluccas, which includes the heavily defended
island of Halmahera, is "rapidly approaching a definite conclusion,"
says to-day's official communique.
It goes on to say that under constant punishment the enemy is
apparently withdrawing.his air forces to bases farther westward "tem
porarily beyond our bomber range.'
Many of the Japanese air bases in the Moluccas are now known
to be non-operative, and others have been stripped of planes. Air
reconnaissance has disclosed that some of the 'dromes in the area
have been rendered useless.
This is the result not only of tib inten
sive Allied bombing, but of the actions of
the Japanese themselves. They have
rooted up the runways and littered them
with heavy logs and other obstructions.
This would suggest that the JapUanese are
resigned to the inevitable consequences of
General AlacArthur's ovcrwhlhning air
strength, and his thrust into the vitals of
the great supply route between the Philip
pines and the cluster of acrodromes and
seaplane bases on the islands of Ceram
and Amlboina andl in the Aro, Kai and
Tlanimbar groups.
Frontal Assaults Avoided
Neutralisation of the HIalmahera aero
drome really amounts to an air penetration
of the outer line extending fromt the Phil
ippines to the southern Moluccas, defend
ing the approaches from the south-east to
the Straits of Macassar, between the Cel
ebes and Borneo, and the South China
Sea.
Whether a penetration takes the
form of air or ground attack, it
amounts approximately to the same
thing. The communique says It will
make possible an advance westward
without the necessity of costly frontal
assaults to clear the way.
Applied to a ground operation, a pene
tration permits the expansion or widening
of a gap and exploitation of "soft spots"
with sullicient strength to turn in either
direction laterally and roll up a defended
line.
The neutralisation of the Japanese aero
dromies makos the carrying out of this
classical operation a possibility. The com
munique's reference to the avoidance of
costly frontal attacks to clear the way
westward is in keeping with the method
used with the tactical approaches to
Japanese bases on the mainland of New
Guinea.
....1ere, in his last operation, General
MacArthur, in addition to a co-ordin
ated use of the naval, air and ground
forces under his command, put the
jungle and inaccessible mountain passes
to use. With less than 1000 casual
ties, of which only 2S5 were killed, he
destroy'ed an entire Japanese army.
The New Guinea dperations will no
doubt provide the pattern for future use
in the destruction of Japanese power.
Powerful Garrisons Impotent
To-day's communique reads
The Moluccas: The battle for air suprem
acy over the Moluccas is rapidly approach
uig a definite conclusion, and under con
stant punishment the enenly is apparently
withdrawing his air forces to bases further
west, temporarily beyond our bomber
range. Our air force is continuing its
pressure, but is finding many enemy air
bases non-operative and others stripped of
planes. The enemy is no longer contest
ing the air over the Moluccas. This, to
gether with the limitation of his shipping,
renders his numerous and powerful garri
sons there strategically impotent for any
thing but local action. With negligible
loss, this interlocking chain of positions
which provided flank interdiction to the
vital Halmahera-Philippines route is be
ing stragetically sterilised, and the chain
divided into its bomponent lengths. This
will make possible an advance westward
without the necessity of costly frontal as
saults to clear the way.
Ccicbes: Our air patrols damaged a 3000
ton freighter and sank another of 500 tons
near Melnadoe.
Dutch New Gulnea-Vogelkop: Oilr
fighters attacked Nabare and Manokwari
aerodromes. Light naval craft sank two
barges.
British New Gulnea-Wewak: Our med
iuni units, with 55 tons, struck enemy sup
ply dumnps.
Ceram: Our fighters, on sweeps over the
north-east coast, destroyed or damaged a
small freighter, three coastal vessels and
six barges.
Timor: Our medium units bombed enemy
encampments east of Koepang, starting
large fires.
New Britain-Rabaul: Our medium and
light bombers dropped 6f0 tons of explos
ives at Vanakanau and Matupi. We lost
two painces.
$