Show The Battle Baffle for Java T THE THE HE crucial battle pattIe of the southwest Pacific is at hand the hand the battle for Java This key island of the Dutch East Indies is the last bastion of united nation strength in inthe inthe inthe the southwest Pacific short of Australia and India If it falls Japan will have clear control of all all the waters and islands of the western Pacific as far as the U S. S islands in Pacific Pacific mid and Australia and of part of the Indian ocean If it is held Japans Japan's advance westward toward India will be contested with ever increasing effect and her advance southeastward toward Australia will be constantly menaced and made extremely difficult If the united nations can hold Java it will make easier the task of switching switching switching switch switch- ing from the defensive to the offensive in the far eat east From Java most of the southwest Pacific is within the range of heavy bombers Naval vessels based on Java can roam the sea passages between the islands Expeditionary forces organized there can recapture Japa Japa- nese-held nese bases in the East Indies in ill the Philippines or in Malaya reversing the Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese invasion process Java is an ideal base It has a strategic location in the s southwestern Pacific theater of war It has excellent defensive possibilities surrounded by water studded with mountains mountains mountains moun moun- crossed criss-crossed by railroads and highways It has ample resources to support an imposing armed force It produces plenty of food not only for its own population of more than but a considerable armed force as well It has oil fields with an output of over overa a million tons of crude oil a year It has considerable industry with foundry machine shop drydock and other facilities for the repair re- re pair pail of military equipment and small naval vessels It has a small but important munitions munitions munitions muni muni- industry of its own In addition to all this Java has a relatively relatively relatively relative relative- ly ly secure rear with a good port on the south south- southern south southern ern coast to which supplies from America can be shipped around round Australia in comparative safety Retention of Java by the united nations would be a great victory its loss would be a serious defeat Whether Java can be beheld held or not no one knows After Singapore no military military military mili mili- tary expert has dared to predict that it would be yet be-yet yet none has said the fight was hopeless The fate of Java may well be decided in inthe inthe inthe the next few weeks weeks perhaps perhaps even days The Javanese Dutch-Javanese army some strong the Dutch-American-British Dutch naval forces and the Dutch British Dutch British Australian air units will determine what that fate is to be fv yo a |