| Show Guadalcanal Diary Brief Trip on Clean Modern Cargo Ship Proves Dazzling Experience After Island Primitiveness By Richard Installment three Forty-three How many miles ea eat east t of th the field asked Control Twenty miles was the answer The enemy Is landing anding troops at bay 20 miles east of the airport reported Control to al aU all planes A few minutes later we heard int conversations of pilots who were evidently on the scene but could no not locate the enemy Lets go down to feet said one voice They should be directly direct direct- I ly under us around here But there was no contact Weather conditions out there must must have been abominable I took off the earphone and looked out the dugout dugout dug dug- out door The night was black there was no trace of a moon It was after 4 o'clock when We e heard the news of a a contact relayed to headquarters Control from Plane Three Three large landing boats sighted east of TalU Tat Tai vu U Point Plane 27 21 corrected One mile west of Taim Point But the weather was evidently too thick for interception I gave up the long night watch at about 5 and went back to bed I was just getting to sleep when I heard the sudden rattle of bombs on their way down do I shouted Hit the deck and the others inthe inthe in the tent were so well trained that we all landed on the tent floor at about the same moment the moment the moment that we heard the crack of the bombs exploding Fortunately they were not close to our camp and fortunately the Jap attackers did not make another another another an an- other run on our positions But there came salvos of gunfire a afew afew afew few minutes later which apparently apparent apparent- ly landed far down our shores to the east Miller and I hustled to the headquarters headquarters headquarters head head- quarters building at the airport to find out whether any damage had been done to the Jap ships which were apparently landing troops at last night Colonel Fike said ald misty we weather ther had interfered with the contact but added that three large Jap landing boats had been strafed by our navy and marine marine marine ma ma- rine fliers An army captain came in to report that his flight of Pursuits which had Just returned from a patrol had found six Jap landing boats on the beach near Taim the Pursuits went back later in the day to strafe the boats He reported reported re re- re ported there was no activity in inthe inthe inthe the area no people visible and no sign of the Jap ships which had launched the boats Colonel Fike said there was no definite Information as to to the number number number num num- ber or type of ships But probably probably probably ably they were several of the now- now familiar troop-carrying troop type of destroyer and probably at least one cruiser for the two planes which had come over and dropped bombs just before daylight this morning had been type cruiser-type air air- craft At Colonel Cates' Cates CP CF we heard that there had been only one casualty casualty casualty cas cas- in this mornings morning's early raid and that casualty had been a man who lost his leg in the explosion of a delayed delayed action action bomb Our people are becoming more expert at taking cover with the exception exception tion of those who to watch the show few are being Injured or killed Two more correspondents have come in to GU Guadalcanal They are Tom Yarbrough and Tillman Durdin Dur Dur- din They have glamorous fresh uniforms and make Miller and me feel like street urchins for our washed hand-washed clothes are scarcely cl clean an and our faces stand in need of a a. good scrubbing with hot wa wa- wa- wa ter This afternoon we had two air air- raid alerts and after the second 18 Jap bombers appeared and dropped their sticks Three bombers bomb bomb- ers and five fighters were shot down in the melee that followed For a a. few minutes after the bombers had dropped their sticks sUcks we heard the rattle of small arms fire and heavier explosions soundIng sounding sounding sound sound- ing like mortar or artillery shells coming from the direction of the We wondered if the Japs were making another attempt to break through our lines but Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieu Lieu- i tenant Wilson checked by phone and looked contented as he reported report report- ed Its only a small ammo dump Bombs set it afire Colonel Hunt has one of the few desks in the Solomons Solomons-an Solomons an item captured from the Japs Some of the officers of the Raiders came into the CP this afternoon and asked if they might use the des desk Then they spread out maps and started a deep discussion I found they were laying plans for an expedition expedition ex ex- expedition to where the Japs last night apparently landed troops and supplies and where according according according accord accord- ing to our scouts there is now a sized good task force That should be an interesting excursion I Imay Imay Imay may go along Thursday September 3 S SWe We were awakened at 15 mins minutes minutes min min- utes after midnight this morning by y guns booming offshore from the direction of I sat outside the dugout and watched the he flashes lighting the sky heard the he haughty voices of the cannon The he shel shells s were not coming in our direction at all this time Others came out of the dugout and we watched the firing Lieutenant Wilson checked with and told us the beach watchers had spotted three subs lying ying off Savo island which is off the he western end of Guadalcanal One of the subs which lay closest to Guadalcanal was doing the he shelling Commander Dexter said aid that there were small fires burning along the shore near Mati Mat Ma- Ma t ti nikau apparently signals to the Jap ap subs The shelling lasted about 10 minutes more then stopped And Wilson said Oscars tired So were we We went back to bed i There were severa several air raid alarms this morning and Miller and I went out to to watch But the Japs did not come They were growing exceedingly timid and that was encouraging Back at Colonel Hunts Hunt's CP I found the raider officers at work over their maps But they told me their plans for the time being being be be- I ing had been changed they were going tp make a landing at Savo Island first and put off the Taim expedition until after that It seemed that mysterious fires tires possibly signal fires had been seen on Savo beach of late And one flier thought but was not sure that he had been fired on by a machine gun as he flew over the island A large group of raiders were being sent to conduct a reconnaissance reconnaissance reconnaissance recon recon- in force They were leaving this afternoon Miller and I stopped in at Colonel Colonel Colonel Colo Colo- nel Edsons Edson's CP he had moved his people from to Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadal Guadal- canal and got permission to accompany accompany accompany ac ac- ac- ac company the expedition to Savo I The auxiliary transports Little and Gregory w were were re going to carry this group of raiders to Savo Miller Mil MU- Miller ier jer ler and ana I J. J were told ioia to 10 be ue ai a. at a a. eer ier jer ler and ana I J. J were told ioia to 10 be ue ai a. at a a. eer certaro certain certain tain taro embarkation point at 4 o'clock to get aboard one of these ships But we were late The ships were pulling out as we arrived Colonel Edson was standing on onshore onshore onshore shore at the time He He was not going joing along on this trip Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieu Lieu- tenant Colonel Sam Griffith Edson's Edsons Edsons Edson's Edsons Edson's Ed- Ed sons son's executive was leading the show I II Colonel Edson said Youre too late ate But he was helpful Get I aboard the cargo ship he ordered and you can get aboard the transports transports trans- trans ports sorts later Better get going he snapped or you will miss it it We did not understand at all how we could get jet aboard one ship which was leaving by getting aboard another another another an an- other which was not leaving But Colonel Edson was the leader we obeyed his instructions The mystery became clear soon after we went aboard the handsome handsome handsome hand hand- some cargo ship She was going to o put to sea in a few minutes and later in the night would have a secret rendezvous with the two transports Then we would be beable beable beable able to change over to the Little We Ve were not sorry to be aboard the cargo ship She was clean and brightly modern A friendly officer showed me to his bath and gave me a clean towel and andI I was able to wash in hot water for the first time in five weeks It was balm I had dinner in the wardroom afterward and felt like the country country country coun coun- try mouse come to visit his sophisticated sophisticated sophisticated sophis sophis- cousin I found my values had grown so primitive on Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadal Guadal- canal that I was dazzled by the white tablecloth and shining silver silver- ware I wondered If unconsciously I would put the silverware into my pocket after the meal for on Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Gua Gua- one one carries his own spoon and knows that if It he loses it he will probably have to rely on his fingers for feeding purposes We got aboard the Little later that night according to plan The leader of the excursion Colonel Sam Griffith and his officers re received received received re- re us hospitably in the ward ward- room I room Colonel Griffith a handsome I young officer tall and broad- broad shouldered with reddish mustache cursorily went over the plans for forthe forthe forthe the expedition A warhorse from way back with a distinguished record in Nicaragua and China and also at he did not seem at all nervous about tomorrow mornings morning's landing The other officers shared his calm Evidently they did not think we would meet much opposition opposition opposition tion on Savo Our plan said the colonel is to toland toland toland land at the northern tip of the island There we will divide into two groups one of which will reconnoiter reconnoiter reconnoiter re- re the eastern half of the island the other the west and the two will meet at the southern tip after the work is done To Be Continued Copyright 1943 by Random House Inc Distributed by King Features Syndicate Inc |
