Show First first Hours ours Ashore On Cost Marines Marilles Heavily By T Benjamin Goldberg PALAU ISLANDS Delayed De De- The The island was covered with witha a pall of black smoke smoke- as the Manines Marines Ma Ma- rines nines landed Each wave of Leathernecks was met with intense enemy fire Mortar Mortar Mor for tar shells knocked I out amphibian tractors From the rocks flanking the beach came machine gun fire From the groves came rifle fire The J Jap ap was everywhere In caves in pillboxes in foxholes under under under un un- un- un der brush concealed in palm trees wrapped in fronds And he took a heavy toll One marine reeled to the beach arms dripping blood As he was I about to drop into a foxhole he was slain by a Jap sniper I A corporal led his machine-gun machine squad into action In 20 paces he lost six men An officer lay in a shallow foxhole I speaking over the radio telephone A mortar shell plopped nearby The officer Was killed instantly A corporal corporal cor cor- I b beside side him was chipped I cor-I by shrapnel In the first four hours the Leathernecks Leathernecks Leathernecks Leath Leath- advanced only yards One unit found a cave with three openings Twenty feet away was a amarine amarine amarine marine lying on his side He had been wounded at the front line and I Iwas was returning alone for treatment when a Jap shot at him from inside the cave A sergeant raced to aid him while the other men of the unit covered him with rifle fire The sergeant crept to the mouth of the cave emptied his clip A second later he was dead from a bullet between between between be be- tween his eyes A lieutenant inched forward He too was shot dead Throwers Flame-Throwers Flush Japs One Jap was flushed out of the cave by flame He was shot A second one charged out He too was killed Grenades were thrown into the hideaway and chased out a third enemy soldier He was killed There was one who refused to budge Twenty pounds of explosive in one cave mouth and the thrower flame-thrower in the other two accounted accounted accounted ac ac- ac- ac counted for him At dusk the Japs counter counter-at tacked One of their tanks and some infantry broke through almost but but not quite quite to to the beach itself Two of our came up to meet the assault They were knocked out A third came up and put the Jap ta tank out of action Two Japs leaped out and were filled with bullets before they reached the ground The J Japs aps lost 50 men and withdrew All night the marines stayed in their foxholes while mortar shells fell about them From the rear came sniper fire These snipers crossed criss-crossed our positions with rifle and light machine-gun machine fire |