Show B. B Behind hind the War News Major Maior Eliot Says I By MAJOR 1 GEORGE FIELDING ELIOT We have won a notable victory victory victory vic vic- tory in the south Pacific It may not be probably is not decisive victory as far as the Pacific theater of war as a whole is concerned but it seems very likely o to be decisive as affecting the immediate issue inthe in inthe inthe the Solomons-New Solomons Guinea area especially when taken in conjunction conjunction con conjunction con con- junction with General MacArthur's MacArthurs MacArthurs MacArthur's MacArthurs MacArthur's MacAr MacAr- thurs thur's successes on the mainland mainland mainland main main- land of New Guinea In the first place it has probably probably ably given us command of the sea in this vicinity for some sometime sometime sometime time to come This in itself would assure the safety of our hold on Guadalcanal and the isolation isolation isolation iso iso- lation of the Japanese troops on that island This favorable effect effect effect ef ef- has been added to by the destruction of the Japanese troop reinforcements probably by far the greater part of the Japanese troops available in the whole south Pacific All this means that the Japanese if they wish to try a come-back come must start all over again from the beginning and that in the meantime meantime meantime mean mean- time we shall have a considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able degree of freedom of action action action ac ac- ac- ac tion not only to build up our defenses but to take further offensive offensive offensive of of- measures of our own Probably one of the early results results results re re- of the conditions created by our victory at sea will be bethe bethe bethe the wiping out of the Japanese forces on Guadalcanal Up p this time the continuous Ja Janese nese naval and air and the constant trickle have enabled I Japanese to maintain th hl selves even ven though the they R n never able to attain the f tactic numerical superiority superiority's E Egested by some commentators For the time being at 5 rate it seems unlikely that th t Japanese on Guadalcanal can can n any more help eV even Jil four transports Which found beached on and destroyed by ably did not have time t toil jl their men and certainly were able to land any stores or qt ment Our own forces will be able to dev d dev much more ore of their attention n supporting our our land forc forces s f we can bring in supplies f reinforcements at will On t whole therefore it would set se that the Japanese troops troop Guadalcanal will soon b with the choice of destruction surrender I One of the most interest features of the naval action l i reported is the fact that cording to Admiral Nimitz l were used on both and our battleships ed to the enemy's losse losses the battle of Midway island was precisely because we w not have fast battleships battleships' able to follow up our suc that we were unable to gal galmore ai more decisive effect Th s has been true of some of f factions actions in the Solomons there we had to keep in inn inn- n n- the very great risk of allow alIo our battleships to come Wit 1 reach of enemy aircraft l ln present action however n noM J Janese anese carriers are reported report d engaged which suggests the ther r that the three c carriers damaged in the act of October 26 25 may have b Japans Japan's last available sh ships pS this type The Japanese based aviation has heavy losses and their ba have been under constant both from Guad l a and from New Guinea Wn h these conditions it seems to toh h Men possible for us to u use use l r in the pursuit an ani animay may be that further enc enc c losses will be reported later B t But what shall we u think the Japanese leadership IS ISare are we to say of a high c c mand which directs four se rate attacks against a single each attack i stronger than its but not one of them sire enough to win J This is the greatest of n n- tary crimes the crimes the putting in reinforcements in driblets constant f c the wastage i inTal a aries aries ries of weak efforts of sf s1 and men which if used n I concentrated effort might Ii brought victory This i ithe isle isy the allies did at the and it was the chief c cause cause Se their failure This is wh what t Japanese have now done E ID Solomon islands and it se likely to cost them very d des dea e. e |