Evening star., 1942-05-23

destruction"
The box score of the Japanese
losses at the two Salamaua
and Lae-showed that at least 10
ships were sunk or crippled and five
others severely damaged.
(This action was described in
some part in Navy communique
No 81 issued at Washington
March 49, The action was an
outstanding part Of the war in
the period between the battle of
Macassar Strait in late January
and the week-long battle Of the
Coral Sea, which began May ~
Two Cruisers on List.
Two cruisers were destroyed, five
transports-one of $4,000 tons and
two others of 10000 tons-sunk,
beached or left blazing; one de-
stroyer was blown up by heavy
bombs, another sunk and others
damaged by smaller bombs and
strafed by machine gun fire.
One auxiliary was listing heavily
and left sinking and one seaplane
was destroyed by our fighters. Many
small boats and barges were dam
aged or sunk. Losses were high
among Japanese navy personnel
One of the transports sunk of Lac
was seen to have many men aboard.
The only loss to the United States
force was one scout plane shot
down by anti-aircraft fire.
1t was a bold and successful
stroke-first by the United States
Fleet in this area-which definitely
delayed the Japanese southwark
drive believed aimed at invasion Of
Australia and the cutting of of the
all important American supply
route to that continent.
Salamaua Important Point.
Salamaua, only about 430 miles
from the northeastern Australian
mainland. is an important point
from which raids could be made
against Australia as we'll as against
the Australian stronghold Of Port
Moresby on the southern coast OF
New Guinea. The United States
has now thrown its naval strength
directly into the hot corner Of
the Pacific war. The American
aviators encountered no air opposi-
ton, for apparently the Japs had
become so confident that they had
withdrawn air support for the in
vasion forces.
As one young United States flyer
told me:
TT was a cinch, dive -bomber's
field day. The Jap ships were going
crazy down there trying to get away
but we nailed them, and howl"
I can testify that the dangerous
and difficult mission was carried out
in a magnificent manner, product
of careful planning and meticulous
attention to detail.
With total disregard for their own
safety in the face of anti-aircraft
fire, pilot after pilot Of the dive
bombers and torpedo planes bored
in and wreaked havoc on every Jap
In sight.
Acted as Decoys.
Fighters acted as decoys to divert
the anti-aircraft fire from the other
planes and they also strafed the
Jap ships with machine guns and
bombs. Squadron commanders,
after dropping their own bombs,
calmly selected targets for the re-
naming planes Of their squadrons
in order to insure that all shipping
would be attacked.
I'VE came in directly out of the
sun, down the sun lanes, and they
didn't see us until we hit" one
aviator said.
THE cruiser that my section at
tackled hadn't the faintest dream
we were around until we pulled out
of a dive and dropped our eggs.
They went wild down there, shoot
ing with anything they could lay
their hands on.
The ships began circling fran
tically, trying to run out to sea-
But most of them didn't have a
chance. We were all over them"
Jap Personnel Fled.
The widely-publicized Japanese
suicide complex did not show itself
among the personnel Of enemy guns
on ship or shore. Anti-aircraft
guns near the dock at Lac ceased
fire as United States fighters ap-
(See NEW GUINEA, Page A-30