The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-05

WdSklAk& GOAA 4kdA hAtAAOuAASSA NAuI the situation at Dutch Harbor was now quiet.
 "Yesterday's (Wednesday's) first raid by the Japanese appears to have been made primarily to test our defenses," 8 navy communique said. High explosives and irlcen- diary bombs wered ropped but, as previously announced, our casualties were light and damage was not ex- tensive. The few fires which were started were quickly extinguished."
 A report at Ottawa that there had been 8 third raid on Dutch Harbor had been disproved. Col. J. l.. RalSton, Canadian defense min- ister who gave the report to the House of Commons, later said that 1t was without foundation.
 But at the time the Japanese, this time in major force, had opened the second phase of. their. new Pacific offensive, within striking dis tance of Hawaii, by attacking tiny Midway.
 After Enemy Fleet | 44OOABk xAGA1Ak4 6A 4sAkAAAUA S0FC AAO details, his communique implied that even now United States planes and possibly warships were harass- ing the enemy fleet, perhaps taking a fresh toll.
 People here, including the United States defense forces from every state of the union, awaited eagerly the next news from new fighting zone at their front door facing Japan.
 All day yesterday they had crowd ed to buy latest editions of the Honolulu newspapers which dis- played the bare announcement of the Midway attack across their first pages.
 Midway Island is properly two islands-Sand and Eastern. A la- goon, formed by a ringing coral reef, encloseS them and potects the an- chorage and the seaplane base on Sand Island.
 The entire land area is only about eight square mlies-impor- tan miles because Midway is valu- able as an air base and submarine base. With Johnston and Palmyra Islands to the south 1t forms a screen protecting Hawaii.
 Midway had it's first trial of strength on Dec. 2, the same day the Japanese made their sneak at- tack on Pearl Harbor.
 Shore guns of the United States Marines seriously damaged Japa- nese cruiser and a destroyer.
 Submarines shelled the island once in January and twice in Feb i ruary.
 On March 10, Marine fighter planes intercepted two twin-engined enemy bombers, destroyed one and sent the other fleeing. Neither plane got near enough to drop bombs.
 New Naval Base Midway was one of IS new naval bases recommended in 1888 by a naval board headed by Admiral Ar thur J. Hepburn. The board said that from the strategic point 0i view Midway was second in impor- tance only to Pearl Harbor. May 9, 1895. 46 navy planes had made a mass flight from Pearl Har- bor to Midway in tactical exercises part of navy Inaneuyers.
 A navy plane squadron made the first nonstop flight from Midway to Pearl Harbor May 24, ie36, and on June l6, le36. the first Pan American Airways Clipper, piioted by tho late Capt. Edward Musick made the flight from Pearl HaTboE to Midway.
 Pan American began regular ser- vice westward from Honolulu, using Midway as halting point, the same year.
 Tn May, 1888, army engineers started cutting . channel and turning basin out of the coral rock and next year the navy started aFl air base and building program uIl. der the Hepburn report.
 Midway was discovered June , 1889, by Capt. ". c. Brooks. Ameri' an-naturaIized Englishman, Whc claimed it for the United States Japan tried vainly to lease it In 1901
 6aburo Kurusu, who went tt Washington last fall to keep "peace' neRotIations going until Japan wal ready to attack Pearl Harbof, wal stranded there by bad weather fol nearly a week in October while en l ro,ska ka thA TTnikA6 gkakeS