Evening star., 1942-09-17
Marines in SoIomons
Itching for Signal
For New Invasion
Rout Jops Out Of Bush
And Remoin on Alert
While Awaiting Word
BY TOM YARBROUGH.

GUADALCANAL, Solomon Islands,
Sept. Delayed Exactly one
month after blasting the japanese
out of Guadalcanal, Tulagi and four
other islands in the Solomon group.
United States marines are itching
for the signal to step out on another
invasion job.
While standing by, they are flush
ing scattered hundreds of hungry
Japanese out of the bush, keeping
beach guns ready to meet a counter
invasion, and tying up loose ends in
general.
Their daily life is rough and raw
just few jumps this side of the
primitive - and continual air-raid
warnings and occasional naval bonn
bardments keep the sense of danger
keenly alive.
Bombs don't always follow the
warnings, but often enough to make
any one in his right mind take cover.
More and more in the last 80 days
the marines existence in the Solo,
mons has settled into a sort Of rou-
tine, but it Is never a dull grind be-
cause the japanese, true to their
reputation for tenacity, determina-
ton and willingness to take big risks,
have persisted In making new land
ings-not in great numbers, but
landings-and each one constitutes
a threat until every enemy party can
be found and crushed.
Hold Not Absolutely Secure.
The United Nations hold on the
Solomon group SO far occupied is
not absolutely secure and cannot be
until the Japanese have been
knocked farther back toward Toxic.
The Japanese still have bases in
these islands from which warships
and warplanes can thrust out like =
knife. So can our warships and
Warplanes lash out at them.
Thus the United Nations and the
Japanese are leering at each other
across comparatively narrow seas.
both up against that most difficult
OF all military operations-invading
defended island.
II the marines have as much good
luck on their next sortie as they had
in the days which followed August 8
they will be fortunate indeed. In
credibly fine luck blessed them from
the beginning. AS the breath
taking armada closed in that his
toric day low clouds and mist con-
cealed its progress. That night it
cleared sufficiently to make naviga-
ton easier in the conf1ning waters.
A japanese lookout on Florida
Island saw our ships 60 by but just
then the lookout stations radio
failed and 1t couldn't sound the
warning.
Breakfast Unfinished.
Mute evidence OF the complete
surprise thus achieved was found
In the Japanese mess shacks, with
the unfinished breakfast still on the
tables, chairs knocked back helter-
skelter and personal belongings
tossed in all directions by men who
scurried through their gear to get
things they would need in the
bush. AS one happy little guy exag-
gerated it. "A destroyer poked its
forward gun into a japanese tent
and somebody shouted. 'Reveille,
you"
Another said, "The only thing they
had time to do was to close the
doors of the refrigerator"
A funnel of one of the big ships
shot up fountain of sparks like
an active volcano, but the Japanese
failed to see them. Luckier still
for The invaders, as soon as the
boom OF naval guns told the jap
anese something was up they ap-
parently decided it was merely q
hit-and-run raid and scattered to
the jungle, leaving invaluable heavy
, equipment and all sorts of supplies
intact. Had they chosen, they
could have scorched the earth and
made it much tougher going for
the marines.
Luck was with the marines when
they found plenty of good drinking
water. 1t was with them still when
the japanese couldn't get around to
bringing in reinforcements until
aILef Lne marines own planes were
on hand to bomb and strafe them
as they came.
biggest Prize Of All.
1t was luck, too, when the ma
rines found the biggest prize Of all
an almost completed airdrome with
a surfaced runway extending 3,77S
feet, and many building and install
lations almost ready for use.
That, OF course, was the prime
objective, but the marines scarcely
expected to find 1t In such excellent
condition. Only one small gap in
the runway remained to be surfaced.
The Japanese had been there three