The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-11

isss attacks on 1t by plane, submar' lu8 and surface ship.
 Army pilots alone, flying fortress. es and consolidated PBY bombers reRereiy damaged heavy cruiser sOF battleship, scored direct hits or D large transport and probably sank . destroyer in the first day of theil attack.
 Second Day Hits
 On the second day they scored direct hits on three large carriers and Q heavy cruiser and downec three or four Japanese planes.
 The army's own losses were only two medium bombers.
 But the full report or even the 9rmy's part is still to come.
 Some of the air force squadrone Which took part have still to report 4roni their remote bases.
 There was little doubt that when She full reports of the navy, the Army, the air corps and the marines are in, they will show a toll greater than that so far claimed--two or three carriers sunk with all their planes, one destroyer sunk, three battleships damaged, at least one badly; one of two aircraft carriers damaged, at least one badly, with most of their planes lost; four to six cruisers damaged, at least two badly, and three transports damag- I'd.
 v The Japanese lost many thou Bands of men killed, it was now cer- tain. Ten thousand was said to be Q conservative estimate.
 They had been so confident that they would capture Midway that they carefully spared it's airdrome xlnways when they attacked it.
 Outline Of Battle The army pilots revealed this out line of the battle:
 1.-The United States forces were ready for 6 major Japanese attack
 2--Three flying fortresses sighted the Japanese fleet on the afternoon of June 3 and attacked 1t.
 3--They were returning at dawr, next day when navy patrol boats sighted an even larger enemy fleet and the air force was diverted tc engage 1t.
 w 4--The Japanese fleet was in two Eclumns with destroyers and lighter craft flanking the heavier units.
 5--The aircraft carriers were be- hind the main fleet, and army fly ing Actresses went for them.
 0--The carriers planes were al that moment attacking Midway.
 7.-The bombers returned to fine that Midway had been under sav- age enemy plane attack.
 N 8--Refueled, they went back tc lind the broken Japanese fleet seek Ing desperately to escape.
 Navy Found Enemies
 wfIae navy found the enemy Brig. Gen. Willis H, Hale, Colorado City, Colo, chief of bombing oper- ations of the Hawaii department said today. "The army, the navy and the marines gave them hell.'
 Summing up the army planes victims, he said:
 "TAe total destruction by the army air corps may even surpass tlnis total because many units at hitlying bases have not had the op- portunity to reveal the extent of FheiR activities"
 Z. Tn addition to the two medium army planes lost with their crews there were minor wounds to three members of other crews.
 The flying fortresses were ripped by sharpnel and machine gun bull lets, but returned intact with one tail gunner wounded in little fling or.
 Two members of a flying fortress squadron, the only real casualties were killed at Midway by Japanese bombs while their planes were out VI Lieut.. Col. Walter c. Sweeney T., San Francisco, leader of the Flying fortress squadron which car lied out high level attacks on the Japanese fleet, said:
 Tt should be emphasized that operations were carried out under most adverse conditions. Int navy and especially the marines de- lending Midway were subjected tc terrifically bad conditions.
 Courage of Marines
 'sThe marines were detailed tc defend Midway and I have never seen such devotion to duty and raw courage as they showed"
 Sweeney told how three planes oi his squadron sighted the invasion fleet on the afternoon of June :; and scored bomb hits on heavy cruiser or battleship and trans port so large that "one of the boys described 1t as of the Normandie class"
 ."Early Thursday morning (June Q the entire squadron went off the ground before dawn," he. said. N~We decided to continue the at- tack on the ships which some o1 our planes had pasted the previous evening.
 But while we were on the way to our objective we received word that another Japanese invasion fleet, in- cludtng carriers, had been spotted by navy patrol boats.
 ~"We changed our course and headed for the new quarry. Thanks t0 the work of our navigator, Lieut. Sill Adams, San Bernardino, Calf. we found tie Japs where the PBY's mad hNld Vqc fIaaxs xuara