Show I War Heads See See Jap Rout in South Pacific Marshalls MarshaUs Invasion Looms After Naval Plane Raid By United Press The collapse of Japans Japan's entire southwest Pacific defense arc was forecast by American military spokesmen on the second anniversary anniversary anniversary sary of Pearl Harbor Tuesday while in the mid Pacific mid Pacific an invasion invasion invasion inva inva- sion of the enemy's Marshall island bases appeared imminent after a heavy attack by carrier carrier- based U U. S navy planes ranking High-ranking navy and marine officers at Admiral William F F. Halseys Halsey's south Pacific headquarters said flatly that the Japanese have lost the battle for Bougainville ville island and their major stronghold at New Britain Britain Brit Belt am ain although the final capitulation capitula capitula- tion of those positions may be de delayed delayed delayed de- de for some time Threaten The spokesman Rear Admiral Robert B B. Carney Halseys Halsey's chief of staff and Brigadier General Alfred S S. S Noble chief of staff to Marine Major General Roy S S. S Geiger said allied forces are ready to hit the Japanese in the central south and southwest Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- and that no longer is a safe operating base for the enemy Noble told newsmen th that t the success of the Bougainville operation operation operation opera opera- tion was assured and expressed doubt that the Japanese could mount a serious counteroffensive there ther Front dispatches from the island reported continuing allied aerial attacks on the enemy's Installations Installations installations acc accompanied by an American Ameri AmerI- can warship warship- bombardment of Bougainville and Choiseul The American beachhead on Bougainville extended seven miles long and five miles deep after a month long battle that has cost the enemy 2000 dead and planes and reduced his air and naval resistance to mere gestures these dispatches said Ceaseless Attacks The Japanese troops and laborers remaining in the northern northern northern north north- ern Solomons Solomon faced the choice of starvation a death fight against the invading Americans or a risky flight by sea through the allied naval cordon Liberator bombers meanwhile maintained their ceaseless attacks on the western invasion coast of New Britain with a ton raid on Cape Gloucester and a lighter attack on itself A Pearl Harbor re revealed revealed revealed re- re that strong carrier forces hit the Marshall islands Saturday in the fifteenth American raid on those bases since November 13 and the second carrier attack of the war Radio silence maintained by the task force while operating in waters waters waters wa wa- nominally controlled by the Japanese prevented announcement of any details o of the raid but the Tokyo radio said planes bombed the islands Tokyo claimed the destruction of 20 of the raiders and also issued is issued issued is- is sued the doubtful report that a carrier and a cruiser were sunk by Japanese planes Another carrier carrier carrier car car- rier and a cruiser were probably sunk I Tokyo said |