The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-17
JAP ALEUTIAN
 THREAT TO END
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their positions.
 But 1t is felt that as soon as the weather clears the enemy will find it difncult to maintain land forces in any of the islands because American planes operating from land bases can make their position untenable.
 It was suggested here that the Japanese sought to land men in the Aleutians first show a success after the Coral sea battle, second- ly to hold flank position in case they decided to attack Russia and thirdly because of their fear of at tack by long-range United States bombing planes.
 Informants said that the Japa- nese were still puzzled over the base from which Gen. Jimmy Doo- little's Tokyo raiding party took of and that they felt they ought to have @ base which would prevent raids from the Dutch Harbor area.
 Watched Japs Falling
 Pearl Harbor, June i7-(UP)- Army aviators, in a flying fortress, watched Japanese pilots landing their planes on the deck of 8 blaz- ing aircraft carrier in desperate attempt to refuel and escape, and plunge one by one into the sea when the flames became too hot for them, 1t was made known today.
 The flying fortress "Goonie", under Lieut.. Edward Steedman, Tex, with Lieut.. D. K. Carpenter, Montoe, Ore., as co-pilot, bombed the carrier.
 "staR sergt. Richard Cullison, (Harrisburg, Pal sighted the enemy fleet through a hole in the clouds and we dropped our bombs on big carrier" Steedman said.
 we went through heavy anti-air- craft fire but our maneuvering pre- vented any hits.
 "The carriers planes were out fighting marine and navy planes.
 "When they returned, they found their carrier afire. Some of them tried to land and refuel anyway. Some did land, and eventually all were forced to plunge into the sea when they could not refuel."
 On the way home "Goonie" shot down one and crippled another Of three attacking enemy planes. The third lied.
 Before 1t hit the carrier, "Goonie" had scored hits with several bombs on a transport.
 In its crew were Staff Sergt. W. J. Pananes, Chambersburg, Pa; Sergt. Albert St. Jean, West Warwick R. I. and Corporals James L. Gamble, Mexia, Tex, and Earl Schaeffer, Reading, Pa.
 Americans in Java
 Melbourne, June 17 = (UP) - A broadcast by the Tokyo-controlled Batavia radio indicated today that some members of the United States 1S1st Artillery regiment, formed the Texas National Guard, still may be operating against the Japanese in interior Java under their leader, Go. Albert 0. Searle of Pawtucket, R. I.
 As heard by the Netherlands East Indies information service here, it reported the capture by the Japan ese of Maj. Gen. A. Pesman, leader of Dutch guerrilla troops in West Java. He was said to have been taken prisoner after more than three months of resistance.
 The fact that no mention of Searle and his men has been made in the Japanese broadcast strength ened belief that they still are oper- ating, since the Japanese would be certain to boast If they were taken.
 Pesman's capture, Dutch officials pointed out, does not mean that re- sistance in West Java has ended They said Dutch generals still elud- ing capture included Gen. W. Schil- ling, commander of the first corps area of the Batavia district and now leader of active guerrilla forces in Java.
 Melbourne, June 1T-(Australian broadcast recorded by UP in San o)-Lieut. Walter Gallagher of Boston, 6 tall redhead, estao- lished an Australian parachute record when he baIled out of his fighter plane 25,OO0 feet over Port Moresby, New Guinea, dispatch from an Allied base said today.
 Gallagher waited until he had reached an altitude of 10000 feet to pull the rip cord because "de- layed jump" was the only hope of descending on land.
 He landed in Port Moresby. His plane, damaged during c doghght with Japanese fighters, crashed 10 the jungle five miles away.