Evening star., 1942-03-25
Pacific Fleet and Planes Blast
Jap-He|d Wake and Marcus Isles;
|ndias Andamans Taken by Foe
Raiders DESTROY
Radio, Aviation
installations

The Navy told today OF highly
successful raids on Japanese
held Wake and Marcus Islands
which so disturbed Japan, re-
ports from Pearl Harbor said,
that Tokio's lights were blacked
out for several nights.
Enemy small boats. seaplanes and
numerous shore installations were
destroyed, the Navy said, at both
the strategic Pacific islands. The
attacking forces, meeting little op-
position" lost one airplane at each.
No United States ships were dam
aged.
Marcus Island is only $50 miles
from Toxic, and so far as Is known,
the attack there was the closest
Navy forces. with the exception Of
American submarines, have carried
the war to Japan.
Several prisoners were taken at
Wake, picked out of floating debris
after two japanese patrol boats
were bombed. shelled and sunk.
American forces attacked Wake
February "a and Japanese-owned
Marcus Island March 4, sinking two
enemy patrol boats, demolishing
three large seaplanes besides doing
extensive damage to shore equip
ment.
The action was regarded as OF
high strategic importance. as it
damaged and put out of use radio
and aviation facilities in an area
vitality important to Japan's control
Of the Pacific.
Halsey in Command.
The task force was under COM
mand of Vice Admiral William F.
Halsey. senior air force commander
in the Pacific, and followed the pat
tern of the raids he directed against
the Gilbert and Marshall Islands
January 81
Full details of the attacks have
just reached Washington.
At Wake Island, which marines
defended in a valiant stand from
December 7 until its capture on De-
cember %. PIG bombs from Ameri-
can aircraft and many shells from
cruisers and destroyers were thrown
on shore installations and landing
field.
Runways Damaged at Wake.
The Japanese are said to have
worked feverishly since their cap
ture of Wake to make it into for
midable sea base.
The shells and bombs OF the COM
bined air and surface fleet sank
two enemy patrol boats at Wake
and demolished three large sea-
planes. The aircraft runways and
a part of the defense batteries were
damaged
Just before dawn on March 4. air
planes from the attacking force
dropped flares over Marcus Island
to light up objectives and then be-
gan the attack. Heavy anti-aircraft
fire was encountered here as the
planes dropped 96 bombs on the
little island.
Hangers, fuel and ammunition
storages, radio installations and air
craft runways on Marcus were given
considerable damage" the COM
munique said.
Although the communique did not
give the fleet action in detail, 1t was
thought that the ships remained at
a distance and aircraft executed
what the communique termed "a
successful air attack"
Detectors Believed on Island.
Although the Navy did not say
what the radio installations on the
islands consisted of, it was thought
that there might be detectors there
to warn of the approach of United
States ships or aircraft. There was
a conspicuous flagstaff" near the
western point on Marcus Island and
automatic detectors have been re-
ported at various places in the
Pacific.
Any radio installations on the
Islands would have been exceed
ingly valuable in extending the
range of Japanese planes operating
In the Pacific, as they could give
instructions from point we'll away
from the mainland
The Navy made no reference to
the aerial action reported March 3
In which a task force, otherwise un-
identified, encountered 18 heavy
(See WAKE, Page A-3D