NEWS OF THE WE E K T HE prospects of victory in the
war against Japan are brOught_ I appreciably nearer by the return of the Americans to the Philip= pines. The seizure of Leyte was of high strategic value, but this week's landing on Luzon, the centre of the political and economic life of the group, is much more important. The operation appears to have been on a large scale, and involved even more elaborate planning than was required of the invaders of Normandy on D-day. The invasion is still in its early stages, but success so far is up to all reasonable expectations, and it may be taken as certain that the Japanese are in no position to prevent the enlargement and consolidation of the beach-head as a prelude to an advance on Manila. The ground between Lingayen Bay, where the landing was made, and the capital is mainly flat, and there are many excellent roads. It is suggested that the Japanese will depend for defence largely en air-power, but nowhere have they shown themselves equal, or anything near equal, in the air to the Americans. The complete reduction of Luzon will be of the first strategic importance. Quite apart from providing air-bases for attack on Japan itself, the island lies right athwart Japanese communications with the East Indies, and American squadrons based on it Al be in a position to interfere effectively with both the movement to Japan of indispensable supplies of rubber, oil and other raw materials, and equally of supplies of food, equipment and munitions to the Japanese forces in the Indies. General MacArthur has his revenge for 1941 in light.
