| Show 1 l leric Girds for Still Stir Greater Effort As Pearl Harbor Anniversary Nears R Review o of Outstanding s Engagements o of Our Country's First Year ear at War i. i cI lip B By CHARLES A. A SINGLED 1 Released by Western Newspaper Union e With the approach of 7 the 7 the date of in infamy amy Americans everywhere will reaffirm their determination to work fight ight and sacrifice to win vin the war and spend a little time in retrospect No attempt will vill be made here to given an overall u picture of what has happened during this fateful year but rather T 2 a review of some of the great battles in which American soldiers lel sailors marines and fliers have been engaged Id Without difficulty we recall that t fateful Sunday afternoon when over a a. a radio suddenly gone wild the 9 shocking and bewildering reports r came ame in Pearl Harbor had been I attacked I People could hardly believe believe be- be lieve it But it was true The next day lay the United States declared war on Japan a and d on December 16 war was declared on Japans Japan's partners in crime Germany and Italy Since then many thousands of brave rave American boys have been 1 wrapped in the flag they loved or I have found a last resting place beneath beneath beneath be be- neath the oceans ocean's swell These men have lave illuminated the pages of American American Amer- Amer ican can history with deeds as bright as aslie the lie orange flash of a cruisers cruiser's guns i Fall of Wake Vake Island fP P All will remember with reverence 4 The the epic of Wake island when a handful of U. U S. S marines marooned f on n a tiny atoll in the Southwest d Pacific made history in in Courage IOn On this occasion a heroic garrison of f less than marines defended Wake Island against a powerful Japanese attacking force from December December De- De cember Member 2 to 22 until they were I overwhelmed by sheer numbers a few out-dated out planes and a agun arun gun run or two our boys sank seven Tap Jap ap warships one cruiser four dee de- de 1 e one submarine and one gunboat 1 IS 51 Fall of Bataan I s The next staggering shock of the war was the fall of Manila and the U. U J. J S. S naval base of Cavite in the Philippines America took heart though hough when it learned of the mag- mag mag cent defense which was put u up p bY U. U S. S and Filipino troops in the Jl rugged terrain of Bataan peninsula I under the leadership of Gen Dougas Douglas Doug- Doug las as MacArthur 1 As it was impossible ble to get reinforcements through the Japanese naval blockade of 1 the Philippines Bataan appeared J doomed We Ve recall that in Bataan's darkest hour MacArthur was spirited spirit- spirit 11 zed ed out of the islands in a remarkable J s ble under-cover under dash to Australia J sc iby by the mosquito boat hero of Bay John D. D Bulkeley i. i Gen Jonathan Wainwright took j took over on Bataan Bataan Wainwright Wainwright the stony-faced stony general whom the thet t boys loved as much as MacArthur Lacking food heavy guns planes f and nd tanks and facing an over- over whelming superiority in enemy f I forces Wainwright's men were finally finally finaly final- final ly y overwhelmed by J Jap ap forces estimated esti- esti mated mated at on April 9 tfX i 1 I Long after the guns on Bataan m ceased firing the guns of Corregidor dor Wainwright's Rock kept fir- fir I ing ing Wainwright and some of his men men had fortunately enough succeeded succeeded succeeded suc suc- in getting on the Rock before before before be be- P fore Bataan fell Completely tely cut off from reinforcements and heavily t outnumbered Corregidor surrendered surrendered surrendered dered to the Japs on May 6 Wainwright Wainwright Wain- Wain wright and his gallant band are now presumed I presumed to be prisoners of the JapsI Japs I Battle of Java Sea II t The battle of the Java sea began I February 27 when the Allied fleet attacked the superior Japanese fleet off the Netherlands East Indies In Inthis Inthis this his engagement 13 United Nations warships totaling tons were lost in a series of engagements lasting lasting last last- ing ing from February 27 to March 1 Included in the U. U S S. S losses was the ton cruiser Houston and the 1193 ton destroyer Pope The o Allies lost all aU five cruisers which participated participated par par- participated in the action These losses were hard to take but America began to smile again again- in fact it howled with delight when delight when the big news broke that Brig Gen James Jimmy Doolittle famous speed flier and World War Var I ace had dropped plenty of eggs over Tokyo with a squadron of North American B That mission was fulfilled on April 18 and went it over big both here in America and andin andin andin in Tokyo First Real Victory of War In the battle of that studded island-studded ocean known as the Coral sea which is near the Solomon islands and about 1000 miles northeast of Australia Australia Aus Aus- i Americas America's first real victory of the the- war with Japan was scored The action occurred on May 4 and called forth deeds of valor as thrilling thrilling thrilling thrill thrill- ing as any in all American history The Coral Sea battle was the first great naval defeat ever dealt the imperial Japanese fleets And yet this great battle was fought entirely in the air by the planes of opposing opposing opposing ing aircraft carriers The ships engaged in this battle never got sight of each other They slugged it out without firing a single gun at another ship the ship the first engagement engagement engagement en en- of its kind in history In Inthis Inthis Inthis this first great victory for the U. U S. S in this global war the Japs lost more than 15 ships sunk and at least 20 others severely damaged The action perhaps saved Australia from invasion However America paid a price for her victory in the sultry Coral sea In this engagement the foot aircraft carrier Lexington famed ship that laid the foundation for our modern navys navy's aircraft carrier operations opI operations op op- op- op I went to the bottom This happened on May 7 The destruction of a Japanese armada armada armada ar ar- ar- ar mada some hundreds of miles off Midway island on June 4 and 5 was another action of the same kind In Inthis Inthis Inthis this engagement U. U S S. S army bombers bomb bomb- ers roared off from their bases on Midway island just island just another dot on the Pacific Pacific to to meet the most formidable formidable formidable for for- array of warships that imperial imperial imperial im im- Japan ever sent steaming against a foe The armada annada was put putto putto putto to complete rout The carrier Yorktown was lost in inthe inthe inthe the Battle of Midway It went to the bottom on June 7 in the final phases of the great sea-air sea battle But before the grand old Y went down she catapulted from her flight u m u m L y LI i F 4 r r LL 1 Official U. U S. S navy photo showing wreckage of the battleship Arizona after the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor deck the dive bombers fighters and torpedo planes that swung the tide of battle in favor of Old Glory A toll of Jap Jap was taken Japs Invade Aleutians Early in June after bombing Dutch Harbor in Alaska Jap forces invaded several of the Aleutian is islands islands islands is- is lands in the North Pacific They made their main stronghold Kiska and evidently believed that the everlasting everlasting everlasting ever ever- lasting fogs that shroud these islands would be their protection But Uncle Uncle Uncle Un Un- cle Sam was up there too and soon the fleets fleet's heavy guns Catalina Flying Flying Fly Fly- ing Boats B and B Flying Fortresses and Liberators began bombing and blasting them out On August 8 a U. U S. S navy task force consisting of a great concentration of cruisers and destroyers glided through the Aleutian fogs almost to sf f y 9 When Major l General Wainwright hero of Corregidor saw that defea at t was inevitable he said Ill sta stay y with my men And he did General General General Gen Gen- eral Wainwright shown above is isnow isnow i inow s now a prisoner of the Japs the very guns of the invaders an and d hurled tons of TNT and steel stee 1 into J Jap ap shipping and shore installations installations installations lations in Kiska harbor In the battie battle battle bat bat- tle tie of Kiska only one observation n plane was lost Not as much a aa as asa asa s a machine gun bullet hit the fleet Since that time the Japs have hav e pulled out of the Aleutians with wit h hn the exception of Kiska their main mai n stronghold and the United States State has strengthened its position n against them by occupation of th the group of the Aleutians Aleutians- much closer to held Jap-held Kiska Old Glory Hoisted in Solomons On the very day when the Japs m in Kiska took such a pounding fro from m U. U S. S forces forces exactly exactly eight months month ms s to the day after Pearl Harbor Harbor Old Old d Glory was hoisted by U. U S S. S marines marine s over the first territory taken back bac k kt from the J Japs aps This glorious even event t took place on the mountainous is island island is-I is land of Guadalcanal key to the Solomon Sol Solomon Sol Sol-I om omon on Islands in the Southwest Pa Pa- This mile long island lie lies s athwart the strategic route to Aus Aus- The Japs had labored long i in n hacking an airfield out of the tropical tropical tropical cal wilderness of Guadalcanal Th The e marines took it away from them and there has been a continuing g day and night battle for possession n of the airfield ever since In their the r efforts to recover this vital airfield d Henderson Field and the key i iland island island is is- land the J Japs aps have risked placing the main force of their navy within n range of MacArthurs MacArthur's deadly Flying Flying Fly Fly- ing Fortresses and the Forts that tha t roar up off of Henderson Field We have lost some fine ships inthe in in inthe the region of Guadalcanal but bu t losses on the island have been light ligh t compared to what the Japs have hav e lost lost according according to navy reports their r losses run four or five times as a s heavy as ours However there ha has s been a running battle for continued continue d possession of the island on the part par t of the U. U S. S and for re possession n tn tt on part of the Japs Day and night nigh t the pounding goes on from sea an ansly ands and d s sly sky but the marines backed by th the e army and navy have hung on an and d ed have made some gains A real show-down show between U. U S S. S and J Jap ap forces in in the Solomons came about in in November mid-November when the greatest naval battle since Jutland in 1916 was fought Supported by MacArthurs MacArthur's big bombers the navy in a three-day three running battle smashed a tremendous enemy armada lifting the immediate threat to U. U S. S positions on Guadalcanal As we pause to remember Pearl Harbor we must to get the overall picture have in ih mind the heroic work of U. U S S. S air pilots over China and U. U S. S air pilots operating co-operating with the Royal Air Force in almost almost almost al al- most daily or nightly operations over Hitler's Reich and over what was known as Occupied France We Ve must remember the fine work done by American troops in operation co-operation with Australians who have pushed back the Japs in New Guinea turning turning turning turn turn- ing the tide of battle in the Owen Stanley mountains saving Port Moresby an and I helping to remove the threat from Australia Day by day through all the months this has been going on brave on-brave brave men dying while dying while out to read about it Opening of the Second Front Things came to a head in the African African can desert early in November Thousands Thousands Thousands Thou Thou- sands of American boys tank men and aviators participated ted in the I great push of the British Eighth army against Gen Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps which at one time was dangerously close to the Suez canal one of Britain's darkest hours Swiftly on the heels of this battle which became a rout as British British British Brit Brit- ish forces broke through the El Ala- Ala mein line America got the world- world shaking news of the opening of thelong the thelong thelong long expected Second Front at an unexpected spot in North Africa on Saturday November 7 Ah All weve we've forgotten for the moment moment moment mo mo- ment that raid on Dieppe in Occupied Occupied Occupied pied France that France that dangerous costly raid last August when American Rangers were the first actual units to participate in land operations on the continent during this war The Dieppe raid was not only a rehearsal rehearsal rehearsal re re- for the second front but also a red herring drawn across the bloody Nazi trail The Dieppe raid was the foundation of the magnificent magnificent magnificent cent success with which the in North Africa was launched under the brilliant leader Gen Dwight Eisenhower |
