Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-19
MARINE AV|ATORS
JUb|LANT At FEAT
Visualize Deadly Maneuver
Employed In Routing
Rebels at 0cotaI.
tOficial photos. U. 8. Marine Corps.

Marine Corps aviators in particular
and military airmen here in. general
were jubilant today over the success
of the small aviation detachment in
Nicaragua which saved the day for
two score Marine infantrymen and a
group of native constabulary at Ocotal
against a ferocious and prolonged as.
sault by the rebels.
Ten airmen. nine of them from
Brown Field, Quantico, Va, flew more
than 100 miles through terrific tropi-
cal storm and killed 200 of the at
lacking force with machine gun fire
and augmentation bombs with which
their wartime De Haviland observation
planes were equipped. Maj. Ross E.
Rowell, whose home station is San
Diego, led the flight.
Marine Corps aviation headquarters
today were without official reports OF
the battle Sunday other than brief
radio message from Maj. Rowell to the
effect he had attacked with five planes,
routed the enemy and that he would
attack again Monday"
Pilots Given Free Rein.
The battle marked the first in which
the handful Of pilots and planes par.
ticipated and also registered the first
time since the occupation that they
were given free rein. In the past their
big, loggy De Haviland's had been
cruising about the country on regular
observation patrols with strict orders
not to fire their machine guns or
drop bombs unless in the event Of an
extreme emergency.
Friends of the airmen here today
visualized the enthusiasm that burst
"a 1xyhnn
was received from two of the De Hav-
Hands on patrol that their services
were needed and needed badly. 1t was
explained that the method of attack
adopted by Maj. Rowell undoubtedly
caused the Marine airmen ito run
wild" as they Owed downward on the
overwhelming force Of attackers and
poured machine gun fire into the enc
my from their Lewis guns at the rate
of 400 shots per minute, and at the
same time dropping 25.pound frag-
mentation bombs. which are complete
ly effective within radius of zoo
yards.
The Quantico flyers who partici.
pated in the battle We're: Capt. Robert
J. Archibald and Lieuts. Hayne D.
Boyden, Frank Weir. Earl A. Thomas,
Jesse A. Harmon and Carlos H. Nc
Cullough; Marine Gunner Michael
Wadarczyk, whose plane, according
to- press dispatches. was hit three
times; Gunnery Sergk A. s. Munsch.
who was shot down with a bullet
through his gasoline tank and another
through his pistol holster, and Corp.
Lawrence H. Pabst.
Armament of Planes.
Capt. Francis E. Pierce, also of
phase of the battle, it was believed
of the Marine Corps, and In addition
to that he Is rated as a crack shot
with machine guns.
The De Havilands, as they appeared
over the enemy, each was equipped
with five machine guns and bomb
racks for five Of the augmentation
bombs, which on exploding break into
about 800 pieces. One gun was fixed
on top of the fuselage and directly
under the center section of the wing
and fired through the propeller. On
either side of the fuselage and
mounted on the wings were two guns.
In the observers cockpit and fastened
to a turelle were two more.
AS the planes arrived over the
scene Of the struggle they probably
deployed into column. Maj. Rowell,
with his 400-horsepower Liberty en-
CINE wide open, dived on the attack.
ing force, at the same time firing his
fixed gun through the propeller and
the two wing guns. AS he passed
over his objective he pulled his bomb
releases and let go bomb or two and
then yanked the ship up into zoon.
Immediately on taking the skyward
course, the airman in the back seat,
standing up and with his hands on
the trigger. let loose with his two
Lewis guns.
Others Repeat Mancuver.
No sooner had Maj. Rowell pulled
off to one side to gain altitude than
Capt. Archibald repeated Maj. Row
ellis maneuver. and so on through
the Ave planes. AS the last one paid