By far the largest and most important developments in the whole world-wide strategic picture of 1942 were the events of the long fronts in Russia:  first, the implacable defense of Stalingrad; and, second, the offensives by the Russian armies at various points that started in the latter part of November and which still roll on with great force and effectiveness.

The other major events of the year were:  the series of Japanese advances in the Philippines, the East Indies, Malaya, and Burma; the stopping of that Japanese advance in the mid-Pacific, the South Pacific, and the Indian Oceans; the successful defense of the Near East by the British counterattack through Egypt and Libya; the American-British occupation of North Africa.  Of continuing importance in the year 1942 were the unending and bitterly contested battles of the convoy routes, and the gradual passing of air superiority from the Axis to the United Nations.

The Axis powers knew that they must win the war in 1942—­or eventually lose everything.  I do not need to tell you that our enemies did not win the war in 1942.

In the Pacific area, our most important victory in 1942 was the air and naval battle off Midway Island.  That action is historically important because it secured for our use communication lines stretching thousands of miles in every direction.  In placing this emphasis on the Battle of Midway, I am not unmindful of other successful actions in the Pacific, in the air and on land and afloat—­especially those on the Coral Sea and New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands.  But these actions were essentially defensive.  They were part of the delaying strategy that characterized this phase of the war.

During this period we inflicted steady losses upon the enemy—­great losses of Japanese planes and naval vessels, transports and cargo ships.  As early as one year ago, we set as a primary task in the war of the Pacific a day-by-day and week-by-week and month-by-month destruction of more Japanese war materials than Japanese industry could replace.  Most certainly, that task has been and is being performed by our fighting ships and planes.  And a large part of this task has been accomplished by the gallant crews of our American submarines who strike on the other side of the Pacific at Japanese ships—­right up at the very mouth of the harbor of Yokohama.

We know that as each day goes by, Japanese strength in ships and planes is going down and down, and American strength in ships and planes is going up and up.  And so I sometimes feel that the eventual outcome can now be put on a mathematical basis.  That will become evident to the Japanese people themselves when we strike at their own home islands, and bomb them constantly from the air.

And in the attacks against Japan, we shall be joined with the heroic people of China—­that great people whose ideals of peace are so closely akin to our own.  Even today we are flying as much lend-lease material into China as ever traversed the Burma Road, flying it over mountains 17,000 feet high, flying blind through sleet and snow.  We shall overcome all the formidable obstacles, and get the battle equipment into China to shatter the power of our common enemy.  From this war, China will realize the security, the prosperity and the dignity, which Japan has sought so ruthlessly to destroy.