The Winslow mail. (Winslow, Ariz.) 1893-1926, 1925-06-02
BLUE AND BLACK
FORCES BATTLE OFF
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
BY CHARLES F. RENICH,
Especial Correspondent of The
WinslOW Mail.)

United States navy, called the Blue
forces, in this mimic warfare has
been in close battle with the Black
forces, meaning the land and naval
forces of the Hawaiian island. We
use the words 'constructively
speaking as meaning in imitation,
as the whole affair is of course
only a sham battle.
AS result of this battle, which
began early on Saturday, when the
battleship Wyoming, under heavy
fire, landed marines on Molakal
island, many casualties will be re-
ported, ships will be sunk, flyers
destroyed and land forces will sur
fer heavy losses-all on paper
only blank shells being used IN all
of the operations.
But "constructively speaking
has a still further meaning, and 1t
is being used so much in this mimic
warfare that it is becoming some
what of a. by-word among both the
officers and men.
It means that when we land in
actual numbers 200 marines, con
structively speaking" there are
1000. When we fire one of the big
I6-inch guns every five minutes,
"constructively speaking" we have
been firing each of the 8-inch guns
every sixty seconds, until the coast
which we have been bOmbardlng
has literally been torn to pieces.
But it has been wonderful
night, and the newspaper men VINO
have remained on the West Virginia
have entered into the spirit of it
and continued on the scene OF ac-
ton throughout it all.
Lights on Shore.
All day Sunday we were watch
ing the horizon for the first slght
of land. After a period OF twelve
DAYS on the water there was
natural longing to see land once
more, but we were not to have that
pleasure on account of low clouds
obscuring the horizon.
Rut after dark the clouds lifted
and we could gradually see lights
on shore, while still later search
lights were seen playing on the
horizon, evidently searching for en-
envy ships.
The newspaper men on the West
Virginia have been permitted to
know practically everything which
was known to the officers directly
in command of the ship, and we
knew that ordersNhad been received
to land marines under cover OF the
ships guns at a point on the south
west coast of Oahu pronounced
Wahu) island at II o'clock
We were invited to join the land
ing party, if we wished to do so.
but were warned that we would
have to wadeVpart way through
the surf to shore and would be q
number of miles from Honolulu.
Mr.. Henning, correspondent for the
Chicago Tribune, and Mr.. Rueker,
Pathe cameraman, decided to avail
themselves of the landing and
went aboard the small boats. The
other three newspaper men, includ-
ing the writer, decided to stay on
the West Virginia and witness the
battle from her deck, rather than
endure the discomforts of long
night vigil with probable ducking
in getting ashore.
Inspiring Sight.
We were we'll repaid for remain
ing where we were. 1t has been a
most inspiring sight, following the
lowering of the boats with marines
for the landing, as the big battle
ship, likewise the battleships Mary
land and Tennessee and light cruis-
ers patrolled back and forth along
the coast for distance of perhaps
ten miles, firing their guns in
shore from time to time, while 1--WE
or six powerful searchlights on
shore directed the return fire and
several flyers circled overhead
dropping flares representing bombs,
We will not know the result OF
the battle probably for many hours,
as of course it is being watched
and checked by expert umpires,
whose decision will be known to
our readers through the press dis
paches long before this letter
reaches home.
1t is just morning as this letter
is being finished, and three fight
ing seaplanes are just leaving our
ship to reconnoiter and determine
if possible whether our marines
made a successful landing and what
damage has been done.
While the newspaper men got a
big thrill out of the nights events
it seemed strange to us that prac-
tically all of the officers and men
not on. duty slept the night away as
if nothing unusual was going on
True, in the early, evening they
stood by and watched the shore
line, but when the writer wandered
forward over the ship after the mid
night hour he had to use great care
not to stumble over men every
where on the deck, wrapped in the1l
blankets and fast asleep. The whole
thing to them was just part OF
days work. In actual battle i
would have been different, NJ
doubt
Later-It is now afternoon ant
word has just been received endin;
the sham war in which we hav
been engaged for almost. two weeks