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leathernecks Annihilate! Japanese In Solomons (Continued from Page One) „ good training, because for ! P past three days there was , .. of bloodshed. The Raiders were out to kill Japs and they tilled plenty. t got in on the fight through a coincidence. I was temporarily ’hoard a transport en route to my “ jgjp at sea off the Solomons °'\ not to go ashore. I wouldn’t fave missed it for the world. ' Early in the morning of August r inth clouds hiding the moon, our transport slipped into Tulagi har ' undetected and our planes ° cooped down to strafe and bomb si islands while our escorting .-ships shelled the shore. "\Ve shoved off from our transport .’j went over to another trans £,‘ 110 take aboard some Raiders. ?-,ev quickly scrambled over the cse and took seats in the bottom ,t,e boat. Most of them lit O'oarets and crouched there calm i'!3 jhece wasn’t much talk. Look • j back i'rom my post in the bow, ‘l°l could see was helmets and ."boulders of Marines with their Julies between their knees. "yiv boat was the first which headed toward Tulagi. We had hoped to make a landing at 7:55 f nLi which was the time the first bombs fell on Pearl Harbor eight months befoie. We started to land at the south west corner of Tulagi, near the hospital, but as we approached ma chineguns started firing from the hospital windows. This was our first experience with Jap trickery. We purposely had not bombed or shelled the hospital but the Japs were using it. They opened fire tut their bullets fell short. We turned away and landed farther , - the beach out of range. As our boat hit the sandy snore the first Marine jumped out. He •i as a husky fellow with a long black beard which must have taken s;x months to grow. I don’t know whether he was a private or an officer. All ‘.he Marines in speak ing to each other used first names. Others kept jumping ashore. They took last long drags on tneir cigarets. grasped rigles or tommy guns and plunged into the woods which covered most of Tuiagi. After a few seconds we could hear them shoo ting. They were as cool as could be and obviously knew their jobs. ffe went back to the transports and loaded guns and crews and landed them ashore. The Marines were still pouring into the woods and there was intermittent firing. Ali this time, in <act all day the ith and 8th, our planes were over head bombing and strafing in front of the advancing Marines. It v.as really reassuring to see those planes. Me our boat was going toward the shore we received an air raid alarm and in the distance we saw the splashes of bombs dropping around our transports across the channel off Guadalcanal. I saw two Japanese planes plunge to the sea in flames and I heard that at least 14 were downed. After we made a few trips we were told to stand by our transport to await the unloading of Marine troops who weren’t scheduled to go ashore until the Raiders had the situation well in hand. We were anxious to see what was go ing on and three times we “acci dentally'' drifted in close until the Marine commander reprimanded us. During the afternoon our destroy ers went inside the harbor and shelled Tanambogo and Gavutu. In lanamhogo practically the entire island was honeycombed with underground positions built of cc ®en: and sheet metal. The .Ma rines had plenty of trouble there. "e transferred to a lighted used for taking tanks ashore and spent ‘Mt night and the next night fboard. We ate Army field rations which really were delicious, rou re supposed to take one hour ^eat a can of these rations, but Maxnis today TUESDAY Hobert Taylor — Cane Turner in "JOHNNY EAGER" with Eduard Arnold ■’so •'•'•test News & Comedy TArv I v AT fading 11UU AI THEATRES "'bat A Holiday! Irving Berlin's ■HOLIDAY INN” " ith Bing Crosby. Bit I red Astaire , ■ Shows 11:30 1:26 3:22 A ■L 3:18 7:14 9:10 Jk “last DAY! 1 iille’s r> WIND” t Stars 33 4-49 > ; Chil. 0c i i. Svc. Men k Sc All Day Inc. Tax \ Northwest! : PLAINS” iarroll, ey, lot 3:30 4:20 A 50 /A UlidJl IAST ^ "Ball of fire” we gulped them down in five min utes. During Friday some Japs swam to the wreckage of a four-engined flying boat off Gavutu. Only a wing was above the water with the hull submerged, but somehow the Japs set up a machinegun and started firing our boats approach ing Gavutu. The Marines finally located the source of the firing and silenced it. Saturday we stood by ready to land troops and kept circling while our bigger ships—transports and warships—maneuvered in'the big roadstead between Tulagi and Guadalcanal. At mid-morning we receive^ word Jap bombers were coming, and at 11:30 we saw a dogfight over the channel. Just before noon we saw 23 big bombers coming in from the east over Florida Island. They were flying real low — jusi off the water. Our ships were maneuvering, one off Tulagi, the other off Guadalcanal. The Japs flew right between them. Our anti-aircraft from all ships opened as soon as the Japs came into range, and the sky was a solid sheet of fire. I saw seven Japs go down. Four of them received di rect hits from one of our cruisers. When hit, the planes became balls of fire, plunged into the wa ter, burned briefly, then sank with out a trace. The remaining planes went out of sight, and we learned only one left the area entirely— with its port motor on fire and the fighters on its tail. A destroyer was hit by bombs Saturday. We learned that on Fri day one transport had been set afire by a plane crashing into its deck. We saw the fire Saturday, and it seemed under control then. We tied up to our transport Sat urday night. High winds broke us loose, but we kept near the ship. At 2 a. m. Sunday word passed from the ship “all is well.” Then hell broke loose. Over to the west, toward the channel, there was a sudden rum ble of gunfire. Instantly three ships were burning, great blazes of light against the black night. One ship seemed to explode and looked as if it was lifted right out of the water by the explosion. 1 saw searchlights briefly illumi nating a ship. Then there were big gun flashes both from the ships with the searchlights and from the ship that was being luminated. We knew it was a fight between Jap and American sur face vessels. It was impossible to tell whether we were winning or losing or what was happening. We heard con flicting reports and three times before sunrise we were lifted aboard the transport, which pre pared to leave the area. At 5:30 a. m. the transport pulled out and we thought we were abandoned. We went over to an cther transport nearby where we were told the landings would con tinue as scheduled. We took supplies aboard and headed inshore. By mistake we landed on Gavutu instead of Tulagi. Marines were walking along the beach only a few feet from us. Frequently one would kneel and fire at some target we couldn't see. Five Raiders came along the beach and suddenly opened fire with tommyguns at a coconut tree. We thought they’d gone crazy. A few coconuts dropped from the tree. Then a dead Jap fell down, and we decided the Raiders weren’t crazy. Just after daylight one Jap swam over from Tanambogo ana climbed ashore about 50 feet from us. He was dressed in pants, un c.ershirt and leggins, carrying two grenades. He was walking unconcernedly, and we thought he must be a Marine. As he neared a hillside where some other Japs were holed in a cave, he started to run. Some Marines nearby opened up and killed him. The Marine commanding omce* told us we were on the wrong beach and we had just started to shove off for Tulagi when two big Marines, each well over six feet tall, appeared with a diminutive Jap. They were carrying him eas ily by the arms. They set him down in front of the commanding officer and he suddenly squirmed and ran away. The Marines shot him. We went over to Tulagi, getting shot at from Tanambogo en route, but the shots fell short. As I had no duties, I walked along the beacn while the boat was unloading. Fires were burning everywhere. Tin and wooden buildings were v/recked by eur bombs and shells. I went into the government office building on the waterfront. There were Japanese supplies and uni forms lying around and a sign "American Airlines” hanging from the ceiling. Already the Marines were clear ing out debris and patching the roof. One nearby building had been used as a rice storehouse by the Japs. Evidently a bomb had hit is squarely. Rice was scat tered everywhere with a. few sacks still intact. We saw plenty of evidence that our attack had been a complete surprise. Some places bowls par tially filled with rice and* other food were standing on the tables, with chopsticks scattered about. We found some Japanese Saki and beer and champagne cider, and tried them all. We made 10 trips to the beach during daylight Sunday, and sev eral times I wandered consider able distances around Tulagi From the beach a path led through a ravine leading from the north to the south side of the island, through bills. The ravine is about 50 yards long, fifteen feet deep and eight feet wide. Several of our Marines with rifles were lying on their stomachs American Troops On Maneuvers In Alaska A practice round has just been fired from a gun during maneuvers by United btates troops stationed somewhere in Alaska. Japs still have hold on Aleutians which could be used as air bases for an attack on the mainland. This is an official’ U. b. Army Signal Corps photo—(Central Press). on top of the ravine. Others were gathering brush which they threw on the bodies of three Japs. They threw matches and lighted the brush. They told me it was to smoke out five other Japs in a cave in the side of the ravine. While I was watching one Jap stuck a rifle out of the cave and shot. The bullet hit a Marine in the elbow, missing the bone. Another Marine tapped him on the shoulder and said “dressing station’s down there.” The Marine got up without a word and walked down. Another Marine took his place at the rifle. Just then a Jap walked out of the lave in front of our eyes and seat ed himself on the path. He was aughing loudly and a little hys-' ;erically. He had a full uniform jut no rifle or helmet. Apparently waiting to oe killed drove him irazy. He didn’t wait much lon ger. Our raiders weren't the least bit ixcited. All they wanted to do was till Japs. Some of them had been ;t Midway. While we were on the oeach. Marines would talk out of ;he woods and ask for a smoke, fte’d give it and ask how it was going. The most they would say was “okay.” Have to go back and get a couple in there.” I remem ber asking one if our losses were reavy. He said “they’ve killed some of us.” The beach was sprinkled with the bodies of Japs. Most of the Japs were shot through the head. The laps were apparently veteran tj'oops. Th >y didn’t look very young. S/me of their uniforms were much l’ke the Marines except different colored leggins and cart ridge belts. The Marines were allowed to carry whatever weapons they chose. All had knives, which they spent the night before the attack sharpening. I remember one boy who must have been a Texan. He bad twin bandoliers of cartridges across his chest and another around his waist. Two .45 auto matics in open holsters were at his sides, with another in a shoulder holster. A long machete was fas tened to his belt. And completing his equipment was—a tommy gun. The Marines told me the Japs spoke good English and used clever tricks. One Jap took the clothes from a dead Marine and started to pass our sentries just at dusk. The Jap slapped a sentry on the back and inquired, ‘ what’s doing, kid?” The sentry answered, “never mind what’s cooking.” Then the Marine shot him. The first night ashore the Ma rines occupied a large building but decided to sleep outside, and post ed sentries. The next morning they went to reenter the building and were met by machine gun fire. Somehow during the night 14 Japs had got through our lines and into the house. The Marines burned them out. Japs hid everywhere. I saw one in a tiny hole in a rock. It looked as if he had been born there and grown up to fit the hole ' He was dead, sitting cross-legged. The Marines had a lot of respect for the Japs who wouldn’t surren der. Sometimes the Marines hol lered, “surrender, you bastards.” The Japs would reply “come and get us.” No doubt about it, the Japs real ly fought. One Jap colonel cut his throat as he was about to be cap tured. Another colonel shot him self. They wore ribbons of the Manchurian campaign. Some sol diers had printed money marked “Honan province,” and other tok ens indicating they were veterans of the China war. The Japs also carried money printed for the Solomons on blue paper with pictures of palm trees and the words “Japanese govern ment One Shilling.” I talked to one Marine in the woods and asked, “how many have you killed?” He answered, "only ten. The others were killed them ieft and right.” The Marines let us wander every where on the island, but we stopped doing it much when we learned they were using us as bait to trap snipers. Several times a Blue jacket would walk past a Marine crouching silently by the path. The Bluejacket would get a few feet past when he would hear shots— one from a sniper aiming at him and the other from the Marine who’d been waiting for the sniper to give away his position. All the time we were unloading, shooting was going on not far from Alexandria Again Saved From Rommel’s Armies - ■ —" - (Continued from Page One) power station at Canadia in Crete, scoring direct hits which set fires over the whole dock area. The Americans crippled the power sta tion in their dusk attack yester day, while accompanying heavy British bombers successfully at tacked airfields nearby.^ All the attacking planes got home safely. (The Italians claimed that four American Liberators—four-motor sd Consolidated bombers — were shot down in the raid. Charac teristically belittling an action which had not turned out well for the Axis, the Italian communique said ground fighting on the Egyp tian front was “of no particular importance.”) The complete success of the Eighth Army under its canny new leadership of Lieut. Gen. B. L. Montgomery and the Near East commander, Gen. Sir Harold Alex ander. in dissipating Rommel’s lat est offensive which died aborning was summed up in a headquarters communique: “Yesterday in the southern sec tor the enemy, continued his with drawal westward under strong pressure from our mobile columns and artillery. “His main concentrations are now again west of our minefields through which he first advanced on the night of August 30-31. Since tnen me enemy lorues x;i the area, consisting of the Ger man Afrika Korps and including the 15th and 21st panzer (tank) di visions and the 90th light division with Italian armored and mobile elements, have suffered severe los ses in tanks, vehicles and person nel as a result of the constant pres sure of our land and air forces. “In spite of every effort the ene my failed to penetrate our main defensive system at any point.” Though the threat of all Egypt was eased for the moment by the resoluteness of the Allied stand, there was do disposition at head quarters to underestimate the re silient striking power of the wily desert fox, Rommel. He has been rebuffed before, he has been rtap ped and encircled, but each time he has been able to turn apparent disaster into brilliant victory. Alexander’s game appeared to be one fo destruction of the enemy rather than immediate territorial gain. Thus the ceaseless ham mering of the enemy from land guns and bombers and strafing fighters. Rommel’s next move was watch ed closely, and the British did not rule but the possibility that he might try to cross the scythe-shap ed Qattara depression which at points is 440 feet below sea level, and strike out for Cairo, by-pass ing the great naval base of Alex andria on the lush Delta of the Nile. The Qattara, in the opinion of some, is not impassable at this time of the year but the British guarded the corridors through the shifting salt marshes strongly. The depression at the point of battle lies 35 miles south of the Mediterranean and creates a fun nel which limits Rommel in his favorite' wide maneuvers. British patrols continued active in the northern sector, and despite unfavorable weather bombers and fighter bombers continued to har rass the retreating enemy in the south, the communique said. Heavy bombers again attacked To bruk last night. The latest desert campaign which started just a week ago was marked by some of the heaviest us. At one point the Marines were throwing grenades into holes in the cliffs to get the Ja*>s out. Seeing those Marines fight made you proud of them. I’d heard about the Japs’ suicidal charges But those Marines were entirely oblivious to their own safety. They walked right into fire and when seme of them were killed, others kept going. Those Max-ines didn’t seem to give a damn whether they lived or axed, as long as they died shooting at Japs. fighting the Sahara has ever known. The enemy first advanc ed eight miles through the south ern mine fields. On Wednesday and Thursday he employed the biggest fighter force ever used in the Egyptian thea ter, and probably the largest bom ber force too. At least five times in those two crucial days, swarms of 40 Stuka dive bombers accom panied by 50 fighters made con centrated attacks on Allied posi tions. But every time the Allied air forces—Americans, British, South Africans and Australians—soundly thrashed the enemy and routed him in defeat. Only on Friday were Allied losses heavier than those of the Germans, but this was because our forces were much more active over the battle zone. Some small part of the credit of the Axis defeat was due to a few American-manned tanks which met German armored forces and de feated them. ROMMEL MISSES TRICK CAIRO. Sept. 6—W—This time it was Rommel who did a little under-estimating. The morning of September 2 when the Axis commander’s forces penetrated the. British El Alamein mine fields a couple of German officers toting a white flag ap proached the British line. The Eritish commander listened in startled amazement while the Nazis told him Allied armor had been smashed, that he was virtual ly encircled, his position hopeless. There was a moment or two of embarrassed silence, then peals of British laughter. Rommel’s men didn’t need any more of an an swer—they hot-footed it away in a cloud of desert dust. AMERICA ALL-OUT FOR WAR OUTPUT (Continued from Page One) season and by the travel of stu dents. Military travel was given preference over civilians on all rail and plane lines. While the National Safety Coun cil in advance estimates predicts a holiday death toll of 400 from traf fic fatalities and 1,500 permanently disabled, a tabulation since 6 p. m. Friday showed only 60 killed on the highways up to noon Sunday. In addition, there were only 14 ad ditional violent deaths reported from all other causes. A plane crash in Colorado brought death to three civilians and five high school students were killed in a Texas car-train crash. Texas reported, the greatest num ber of traffic deaths with 8. Vir ginia. with 7, was next and Ohio and Michigan had 6 each. Paul V. McNutt, chairman of the War Manpower Commission, in a radio address from Chicago, said, '“The free nations of the world are figh“'ng for the only kind of sys tem in which there can be any such thing as free labor. ■ “So far we have tried to mobilize the manpower of America by vol untary action. And most Ameri cans have responded. But if any Americans hold back the volun tary system is a failure.” LABOR WANTS 5TH GUARANTEE WASHINGTON, Sep.t. 6 — UP) — William Green, president 'of the AFL, said today that in addition to the “four freedoms" enunci ated by President Roosevelt, labor would insist upon a fifth guaran tee beino- written into the peace terms after the war: “The freedom of workers in every land to join free and demo cratic trade unions of their own choice.” “This is labor’s own peace plank and no force on earth can stop us from making it a reality.” Green declared in a Labor Day state-1 ment. Philip Murray, president of the CIO, said in his Labor Day mes sage that “Labor today occupies a position of national and world importance greater than ever be fore in history” and that up— its efforts depend victory or defeat. “We call this labor’s war,” he said, “because its great and basic1 issue is the right of the working and common people everywhere to enjoy liberty, democracy and the opportunity to work out their destiny as free men and women.” Secretary of the Navy Knox and Undersecretary of War Patterson issued a joint statement saying that “In no other country has la bor enjoyed so full an opportunity to win its battle of production vol untarily and without coercion” and expressing the hope that “this hap py relationship of cooperation be tween labor and the armed fore - may continue as the stresses of the war increase.” Speaknig from West Point on the weekly Army Hour Broadcast, Pat terson also declared that the holi day this year was “the most cri t cal Labor Day in our history.” “The time is at hand when we must begin to win this war or go down to ruin,” he continued. “The Army knows that with the full hearted support of American labor every minute, it can and it will bring ali-out defeat to the enemy.” George Meany, secretary-treas urer of the AFL and member of the War Labor Board, demanded a larger voice for labor in the di 2 Out Of 89 Villages Taken By Reds Found Intact After Germans MOSCOW, Sept. 6.—(JPl—Only two out of 89 villages recaptured from the Germans in one district northwest of Moscow were found intact by the Red \rmy, Tass re ported today in an account from a frontline correspondent. “The rest,” he wrote, “literally were razed off the face of the earth. Everything lies bare as if visited by locusts.” In one village the correspond ent said an undaunted peal ant nailed his street number to a stick and stuck it at the opening of a hole in the ground which he now calls home. “A field overgrown with yellow, rection of war production in an ad dress prepared for the Mutual Broadcasting System. unmown grass, mounds bristling with nettles, heaps of rubble and smashed glass” were all that re mained of one village, he said. -_V Strictest gasoline rationing in eastern states has been put into effect because of ship sinkings. Formerly, 95 pei cent of petrole um products delivered to these states was carried by tankers. WHEN CLEANING j m*A Add a small amount of Creolin to the water— it makes a powerful disinfectant for clean ing toilets, bathtubs, basins, floors and walls. Creolin is an effective deodorant.too. Ask your druggist. Merck & Co. Inc., Rahway, N. J. Special Notice In Order To Give Our Employees The Advantage Of This National Holiday WE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH In Observance Of LABOR DAY Modern Laundry and Cleaners 118 South 17th Street Big LABOR DAY Dance Lunina -■ Tonight 9 'till 1 with TED ROSS AND HIS ORCHESTRA Enjoy an Evening Of Dance Fun At Wrighfs ville Beach's Cool, Famous Lumina Pavilion Featuring the Lovely Voice of NARY CURRY ★ Admission $1.00 Each Tax Included [G day TOR labor to*. **$& Bottoms up, Mister—today is your day! It’s a mighty swell job you’re doing—you and millions -V of other U. S. workers. Keep • up the good work ...for Victory! PEPSI-COLA !S MADE ONLY BY PEPSI-COLA CO., LONd ISLAND CITY, N.Y. AUTHORIZED BOTTLER: J- W- JACKSON BEVERAGE CO.
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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