The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-29
MARINES NOW
 TAKE OFFENSIVE
Continued from Page D

I saw the Marines fighting on the Itle islands of Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo, which, though greatly outnumbered, they took killing 1,50O Japanese.
 I saw hundreds of trapped Japa- nese troops wiped out in the battle of the Tenaru river on August 21.
 The surf ran red with blood when the Marines turned their guns on the enemy trops who, refusing all offers of quarter, swan out to sea to escape.
 On the night of September IA, 50 Marines held the ridge on the Tenaru, entirely cut of from our main forces, and stopped an attack by more than 1,500 men.
 They stood on the ridge shoulder to shoulder and with rifles, hand grenades, and bayonets carpeted the slopes with enemy dead.
 There is no front in the Solomons and there is no rear.
 Mai. Gen. Alexander A. Vande- grift, the commander in chief, is as much at the front as are his men.
 Two Japanese were killed in broad daylight less than 100 feet from his headquarters tent in a mad charge on him from the jungle.
 Officers share every hardship. They go hungry with them, are bombed, shelled and sniped at, suf- fer the same tropical diseases and the same green hell of heat, rain, pain and death in which 1t is often impossible to tell friends from enemy.
 The Navy and the Navy and Army air forces share the glory with the Marines.
 The exploit of Vice Adm. Rich mond K. Turner in getting his in- vasion fleet through enemy -domi- mated waters intact and then slip ping convoy through a Japanese task force is regarded out here as one which ranks high.
 The air forces have prevented en- emy troop landings in force sufd- cient to retake the islands, they have fought and beaten the Japa- nese aviators in the air. and they have taken the attack untiringly to the enemy at every chance.
 The Navy's communique of yes- terday, reporting two cruisers, a large transport and seaplane ten- der hit by Army and Navy bombs and 42 enemy planes downed in four days means that the enemy has lost nearly 20 ships sunk or damaged by planes based on Guada- canal and at least ITS planes shot down since August T.
 The attack on the ships testified, to one who has been on Guadal- canal, to the growing power of the air force to push back an enemy counter-invasion.
 Navy reports on ground action in- 6icate that the remnants of the enemy troops on Guadalcanal are being wiped out and that for the moment at least no enemy rein forcements are being landed.
 The Japanese want desperately to take back the lower Solomons. They have spent men and materials with reckless extravaganza.
 They are still putting all possible pressure on the American forces. But Sorely needed endorsements arrived, it is possible to say now, at the critical hour by running the gauntlet of enemy dominated seas.
 It is believed now that the posi-" ton of the Marines and the air forces is so strong that the southern solomons are almost impregnable ex. cept to an overwhelming force. It Is somewhat doubtful that the enemy will be able to muster such Q force after the succession of defeats ln the Coral Sea, at Midway, and in the Eol0moEis action SO far, and in view Of the greatly extended Jap. anese commitments.
 To people out here the solomors are not . second front. They are the front, the front against the most dangerous enemy, the one it will take q torrent not a tFlekle Of men and war materials to defeat in . knock down and drag out fight in which quarter wiIl not Do given nor asked.
 To date, under VandAsrift and Turner, the American forces wlih relatively small losses have w0n Co daadaloanal aIl unsuitable aircraft carrier to take the fight 70 tho enemy and the jumping aB place for the start loWnFd Japan. Ks victory lE the paelge WaF aes ponds on courage, endurance, tes RQsig9efulnaaS a3ld Initiative, fhe nnlIanlllll1 1anl halAnaa lhnA AlanE.