The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1942-03-25
US. Raids
CONTINUED from Page l

w axe lSldIlQ week earlier
struck at Marcus Island March
4.
The attack, by air. was exc
cuted just before dawn and the
Navy bombers which rOared
over the japanese base dropped
flares to illuminate their objec-
tives. mo enemy aircraft or
ships were present" the COM
munique said.
HEAVY GROUND FIRE
Heavy anti-aircraft fire was
encountered while our planes
dropped So bombs on the small
island, resulting in considerable
damage to hangers, fuel and am
munition storages, radio install
atoms and aircraft runways. Our
loss in this engagement was one
aircraft"
The Navy did not specify what
sort of radio installation was be-
lieved to have been in operation
on Marcus Island but there was
speculation that it had been a
radio locator device for detect
ing the approach of American
ships or planes toward the very
heart of the Japanese dominated
area in the western Pacific.
Naval authorities suggested
that the great value of Wake
and Marcus islands to the Jap
anese has been in extending the
effective patrol range of their
aircraft, particularly. far in front
of Theig most strongly defended
area. Planes operating from
Wake, for instance, might be re-
lied upon to detect any west
ward fleet movement from Ha-
waii and planes operating from
Marcus similarly could patrol a
vast area of ocean lying south
and east of the Japanese main
land.
LII LIE OPHOSlllON
The Navy communique indi-
Gated that the tank force lead
ers had been somewhat disap-
pointed in meeting SO little OPP
position and having so little op-
portunity to wreak important
destruction upon the enemy.
although the islands had
been the scene of much recent
enemy activity the Navy said,
these surprise attacks were met
with little opposition and the at
lacking forces found few enemy
planes and ships in the areas.
considerable damage was
done to shore installations, de-
Tense positions, aircraft runways
and water tanks by combined
bombardment from aircraft and
surface vessels following the
pattern so effectively used by
Admiral Falsey in his raid on
the Marshall Islands"
The Navy made no reference
in today's report to the aerial
action reported March 3 in
which task force, otherwise
unidentified, encountered ID
heavy enemy bombers west Of
the Gilbert Islands and shot
down 16.of them. In that action
Lieutenant Edward II. O'Hare,
fighter pilot, became the Nays
first ace flier of the war, being
personally credited with the de-
struct;on of six enemy bombers.
O'Hare was one of the filters
operating from an aircraft car
rier in the task force.
WRECK INSTALLATIONS
Reports to the damage inflict-
cd on Wake Island suggested to
naval experts here it was so
effective as possibly to have
wrecked virtually all the install
lations of importance which the
Japanese had succeeded in plac-
ing there since they captured the
place.
The marines who defended
Wake established one OF the
most heroic records of action
ever recorded in the defense of
an American position.
The garrison there consisted
of ID officers. 365 marines. one
naval medical officer and six
naval medical ratings. Major
James p. S. Dcvercux of Wash
irgton was garrison comman-
der.
In the Ia days which the gar
rison held out il lost heavily in
its original equipment which
consisted of II fighter planes,
six 5-inch guns, twelve 3-inch
anti-aircraft guns. eighteen So
caliber anti-aircraft guns and
thirty 3o-calibcr anti-aircrafi
guns, plus the usual smaller
arms and six searchlights.
Yet with their planes and
guns. the marines were able 10
destroy seven Japanese war
ships, including a cruiser and
three destroyers.
Marcus Island. the Japanese
name OF which is Minami Tori
Shims. is triangular point of
land about five miles around,
wooded, and lying on the av-
erage about 60 feet above hiTh
water. II is bordered by white.
sandy beach with breakers ex-