Evening star., 1942-02-10
By the Associated Press.

Hngton, NeD Zealand, 1Dhere an
Allied censorship is in torce.)
By the Associated Press.
BOSTON, Feb. 10.-The arrival
at wellington, New Zealand. of
the vanguard Of a United States
naval force was reported today to
the Christian Science Monitor by
it's correspondent, Joseph c.
Harsch, who described also the
landing of American reinforce
ments at way stations along the
route" from Pearl Harbor.
In a copyrighted story, Harsch
told of his landing at wellington
from a destroyer, described as the
first unit Of Admiral Herbert F.
Leary's American forces. He said
the landfau was reached even before
the public announcement Of Admiral
Leary's appointment to command all
allied forces in the Anzac area.
The Monitors correspondent said
he Travelled part Of the way from
Pearl Harbor with the forces which
attacked the Japanese inundated
Gilbert and Marshall Islands. Then
he changed to another unit by
breeches buoy in mid-Pacif1c.
Spend Many Days on Islands.
Therefore, he said, he spent many
days among the tropic islands, where
ships well known to the luxury trade
poured American reinforcements
into way stations" along the 1000
mile route from Hawaii to New Zea-
land. After describing the waving
Of hats and flags as the destroyer
came into Wellington Harbor at %
knots, MIR. Harsch added:
Behind the color of this little act
in a great drama lay a symbol Of
an important American victory. The
battle OF the supply line from Amer
ica's factories to the Far Pacific bat
tie front has been won. Japan has
suffered its first serious reverse. An
American admiral commands the
terminus.of the supply route. The
way stations have been secured.
BluejacketS are here. And the way
is open for reinforcements and the
vital weapons Of war"
No Battleships in Group.
The correspondent said he left
Pearl Harbor on an airplane car
rier, accompanied by destroyers and
cruisers, but that mo battleships
encountered swift movements"
One night, he said, the Japanese
radio announced the sinking Of the
force with which he was sailing, in
cluding the aircraft carrier. At SUM-
up, he added, he climbed to the sky
control and found the entire force
intact. He added:
THE japanese literally did moth
ing to interfere with the original
mission Of this force, which was to
cover the movements of reinforce
ments to way stations along the
supply route. It was life built around
planes from the launching of the
dawn patrol when the dark deck far
below suddenly came to life with jets
OF licking blue flames until night,
whehsthe last patrols came in to
dusk -darkened ship and we rode
along to another dawn.
THE moment came to choose be-.
tween remaining with the force for
an attack on the inundated Mar
shall Islands or taking a chance on
getting to the Far East. The breeches
buoy carried us to destroyer and
a destroyer to a tropic island. There
we lived among natives whose homes
are thatched domes on stills and
watched with them in awe as Amer
ican forces moved into places where
Robert Louis Stevenson has in the
past been the major link with the
outside world. Next only to a carrier
Is the excitement of travelling on.
destroyer. Our final leg OF the
journey was in world of speed driv-
ing through everything. 80
Morale Called Excellent.
Through 1t all one acquires q
tremendous admiration for these
American boys. I never saw better
morale anywhere. It's pure Amer
lea at its finest from our jaunty
skipper who could make a destroyer
behave like a racing car, down
through the crew, who knew he
could dc anything and would do any
thing for him. They are young and
fine and eager without bravado. They
behave here in this port with deep
respect for those who have been
carrying the load for two years, with
humility but with assurance.
Japan won the first blow at Pearl
Harbor. But Japan lost the battle
of the supply lines for our destroyer
was only one unit. What else Ad-
miral Leary commands is a closely