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Show Japs Could Not Supply Kiska American and Canadian soldiers, sol-diers, landing upon Kiska, were surprised to discover that the Japanese had evacuated the island is-land and that there was no fighting fight-ing to do. Despite the effort of Japan to secure some satisfaction from the evacuation, it represents an admission that the island was untenable because of the pressure pres-sure brought to bear upon it. Taking advantage of fog and darkness, the Japanese secretly gave up Kiska, although its capture cap-ture was hailed in Tokyo last summer as a great triumph. Its occupation was heralded as the aim and objective of the expedition expe-dition defeated in the Midway area. V.'u .should be pleased that the doci' lon of the Japanese enabled us to avoid thousands of casualties casual-ties which would have been inevitable in-evitable if the enemy had staged a desperate last ditch stand on Kiska. The Japanese did not exhibit the fight-to-the-last-man determination which has featured fea-tured their resistance on the South Pacific islands. While American officers do not understand how the Japanese managed to withdraw their soldiers, sol-diers, they know why the evacuation evac-uation was necessary. Kiska was cut off from Japan. While it might have been possible, despite de-spite the vigilance of our planes and warships, to send supplies to Kiska, it is apparent that the Japanese are experiencing a shortage of cargo ships and that they do not care to risk their warships. The same factors which led to the evacuation of Kiska will, in time, lead to the capture, surrender sur-render or evacuation of islands in the South Pacific. The Japanese, Jap-anese, as pointed out by Lieut. -General John L. DeWitt, have over-extended themselves and possesss an island empire which is difficult to supply or defend. In time, it will become impossible impossi-ble and the isfand empire will collapse. This will not mean the end of the war against Japan because it will be necessary to carry the war to the Japanese homeland. This will not be an easy task but the war will not be won until this is accomplished. |
