New Theater

Four-motored Liberators ranged far out over the Pacific last week, striking at Tarawa Island in the Jap-controlled Gilberts and at Nauru Island 400 miles west.

These attacks were called "warmups" by Major General Willis H. Hale, commander of Hawaii's Seventh Air Force, who promised more attacks in this new Army theater. Said he: "Right now we are building up to a campaign . . . [of] repeated small raids or large concentrated attacks, whichever we consider most effective. . . . Our bombers are laying the groundwork for future seizure of enemy bases to push back the Japanese outposts."

Occupation of islands in the central Pacific has already started. U.S. Marines now hold Funafuti, the largest island in the small Ellice group, which lies 1,200 miles east of Guadalcanal. General Hale's bombers may have used Funafuti as an intermediate base last week.

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