Evening star., 1942-02-21
Army Journal Terms
Clark Lees Bafaan
Stories Best Of War
A. P. Writer'S Dispatches
Louded for Vividness,
MiIitory Details
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
High praise came today to Clark
Lee, Associated Press war CORE
spondent in the Philippines, from
the Infantry Journal, semi-offlcial
publication edited by officers.
His dispatches were described as
'the best this war has produced on
any front"
The Journal noted edittorially
that Mr.. Lee reported "the main
details of the fighting" and mot
merely the highlights."
One dispatch, relating the. ex-
ploits OF anti-aircraft gunners with
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces,
was reprinted by the Coast Artillery
Journal.
The Journal noted editorially
some correspondents may have ex-
hibited more literary skill, although
to the Journal Clark Lees dis
patches seem to stand high in this
respect"
But for military detail-the
things that show just how our
troops and the enemy are fighting,
without giving away any secrets of
war-Mr. Lees reports are unex-
celled." it added.
Difficulties Easily Visualized.
Take for example his delayed re-
port of February 5 which appeared
in the Sunday papers Of the 9th, in
which he describes the jungle fight
ing against the battalion of BOG Jap
soldiers that attempted a landing
from the sea some days before. Read
ing this news, the soldier can visual
ize most clearly the difficulties that
marked this particular fighting and
the ability with which our troops
carried it to success.
CLARK Lees reports show vividly
the close-line fighting in the jungle
where fields of fire are measured
almost in inches rather than yards.
He showed us the most difficult ac-
tion that tanks can undertake
thrusting through the matted under
growth toward the unseen enemy.
1t was just before that attack, he
reports, that Capt. G. A. Crome, with
his arm in a sling, shouted to the
Japs, Surrender, you -, we've got
you surrounded (or words to that
effect, and some English speaking
Jap replied, Merits to you
But Clarke Lee also shows us the
wavering and breaking of the stout
Japanese spirit when a hail of ac-
curate fire from infantry mortars
lobbed above the jungles into their
positions and hand grenades hit
their marks. 1t was then, writes
Clark Lee, that one American SOL
dier said to another, I wish Bob
Feller were here to toss them down
the middle But it is apparent that
many man in Gen. MacArthur's
forces is able to put them in the
groove practically as well as Bob
Feller.
Accuracy for Efficiency.
I'm this correspondents reports
we see clearly the tremendous value
of accurate infantry fire as well as
the tenacity and endurance of the
Philippine and the American SOL
dier. For his reports as a whole
show plainly that this is a major
element in the splendid resistance
of Gen. MacArthur's forces. They
know how to shoot far better than
their enemies. And it's the rifle or
machine-gun bullet, or the hand
grenade, or the mortar shell, which
strikes its target that does the
deadly business Of war with 100 per
cent efficiency And the same is
true of the fire from tank and
plane. If it depends merely upon
the law of chance instead of the
rule of straight and deadly aim it
wastes SO per cent of the ammuni-
ton fired, If the enemy knows the
use Of cover.
CLARK Lees report of February 5
and all he has written before give
us the measure Of our own and the
hardy Philippine forces, and of
their foes. AS one American off,
Ger told Clark Lee, The Japs are
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