Evening star., 1942-09-06
Reporter in Observation Seat of U. S. Bomber
Gets Thrilling View Of SoIomons Attack

dalcanal It is a beautiful country,
with coconut groves along the shore
and grassy plains sloping gently to
the mountains.
Cattle and goats are grazing there,
oblivious to the bombing and she'll
ing.
Hundreds of Waterbugs
In the channel, our transports
are surrounded by what look like
hundreds and hundreds of water
bugs which actually are marine
landing boats. One long line is
heading shoreward while others are
circling the ships
The boats must be moving fast,
+ judging BY the wakes.
One 81 our cruisers is close irshore
OF the northern coast of Guadal-
canal It's guns spit blue fame and
we see shells hit in trenches near
the landing field, throwing up sharp
clods of black dirt,
After the cruisers guns fire. there
is what looks like splash out near
its side and we think momentarily
that japanese shore artillery is
shooting back. But closer look
shows it is brown smoke from the
cruisers guns.
We spot typical Japanese sa:npans
along the beach and up the Lunga
River, which curves down from the
mountains past Lunga arileld and
into the channel near Kukong.
Flying low over the circular anti
aircraft emplacements We see they
are as deserted as the entire area
and I feel satisfaction at having
predicted the Japs would take to
the woods when We jumped them.
We circle over the Marine boats
and I see the first one touch shore
and the Marines jump out. It is
9:10 am, only 10 minutes past the
scheduled landing hour. The land
ing place is a sandy shore fringed
with palm trees with an open area
of several hundred yards of grassy
| plain behind it. AS soon as the
Marines land, the boats turn
around and speed back to the trans
| ports
Still circling and awaiting orders
we see fires at Kukong blazing
higher as they spread to new oil
| drums.
| Not Single Enemy Shot Fired.
The group commander calls us by
radio and tells the pilots what has
taken place prior to our arrival. He
says the Japs fled without even at
tempting to man their guns and not
a single anti-aircraft shot was fired.
He adds, Bruce, there's a bunch of
Japs hiding in the woods down there
of the runway. Go low and get
them"
Bruce circles deliberately into
position and glides down toward
the woods. Around the corner
see him pull back the release.
look back and see bombs falling
from our other planes.
They hit and burst and our plane
jumps slightly from the blasts. The
bombs fell in perfect train but
were wide of the woods, landing on
the open space of a new runway.
Bruce, I'll show you where. Watch
me-"
There are many planes in the
air over the landing field but we
are able to. follow the group COM
mander's from his own radioed de-
scription of maneuvers he's making.
He dives toward corner of the
woods, cuts loose with machine
guns and his tracers indicate our
target. He says:
Go get those guys"
Bruce says, "Will do" He tells
Gunner Sullivan to give him more
bombs.
Our plane circles even lower. This
time the bombs do not miss. They
make quick, brilliant blue flash
as they hit, then a cloud of black
smoke flares. Our plane bumps
more sharply from the conclusion.
After our last plane drops it's
bombs, I think I see machine gun
firing from the woods behind the
airport, and pass a note to Bruce
He goes back again, dives, and re-
leases another salvo.
Japs Got Own Medicine.
Small boats are still coming
ashore in increasing numbers, while
others are returning to the ships
empty. There are two long parallel
lines of boats from the shore to
the ships.
| We haven't seen Japs anywhere,
so we circle low over cononut groves
hunting them behind trees from