The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-06-19
BY VERN HAUGLAND


Australia June 19-'P)- A new
chapter i'm the stirring story of
last months Coral Sea battle
was unfoldcd today by Amcri-
can land based flicrS who told
how they delivered tive first of
a series Of blows tha, sank Is
Japanese ships, set more than
20 Attire and sent the scattered
remnants of a great invasion ar
mazda fleeing northWard.
For four solid days, the fiji
crs disclosed, they ranged the
sea in relays, stril:ing at the
Japanese fleet and returning to
their bases only for fresh loads
of bombs and gasoline.
Hal the Japanese failed 10
turn back, declared Capt Harry
Spicth oC Portland IRE not one
of the 70 to 80 vessels which
originallv composed ne armaJa
would have survived
CREDIT OFFICER
Credit Tor Striki - tho initial
blow against the Japanese fleet
was given to Lieut. lHnts Maui
rice Hargan Of Joplin, Mo, and
Willis B. Campbell of Chicago,
pilots Of a plane which sank a
large transport i'm a harbor
where the enemy was maSSing
for the Coral Sea thrust.
It was Capt Roberts Of Bccbc,
Arka., however, who was cred
tied with spotting the main Jap
ancse flet after It took off while
he was flying ahead Of a Cora
Sea patrol formation.
Roberts sighted the Japanese
ships Is minutes before we
did" declared Capt. Spicth,
leader of the formation.
He was pretty excited as ne
radioed back the information
that a big force, including an
aircraft carrier, was dead ahead.
"Whcn we arrived they we're
sitting pretty 10000 fet below
us. There was one aircraft car
rier. a seaplane tender, several
cruisers and a number Of dCs-
trOycrS. Away off We could sec
another large convoy.
eve came in right behind
Roberts and let them have all
we had. We scored near misses
and a direct hit One of the
cruisers which erupted smoke
started to blaze furiously.
$50 DEGREE TURN
CAS- our bombs dropped, the
Japanese aircraft carrier did
18O-degree turn. He really was
trying to escape -. and so we're
the others.
Their wakes looked like
wriggling white worms as they
turned in all directions as if a
hen was over them trying to
pick them up.
"Thosc JapS threw everything
they had at us. They were rock
ing our plane like a feather.
Soon our Naval dive bomb
crs appeared and let the carrier
We learned later il was the
Rykaku-havc it. They sank
her i'm five minutes with IS
bombs and 10 torpedo hits.
"On our way back to bomb
up Ooad more bombs) we saw
most Of the rest Of their convoy
coming i'm pairs or thrCCS in n
loose string formation. We sight
cd about 25 ships n that con
voy alone. proceeding to a rem
devious where we sighted sever
al other ships.
On our way out again we
saw part Of our fleet coming
toward the japanese fleet, then
200 miles away.
GO SOUTHWARK
THAT last time | saw the JaO-
ancsc going southwark They
lost heart when they lost their
carriers and they were easy
meat without aircraft protec-
ton. We got two transports this
time with direct hits.
The next day we went out
again The main units o' tho
japanese Navy had disappeared.
leaving the transports 10 fcDd
for themselves.
owe continued 10 bomb the
stragGlcrS. During that day
there wasn't five Squaro miles
Of ocean we travcrSCi that did
not haNn q Lanancsn shin OF