Evening star., 1942-08-28
Defense Force of $50 Jops
Wiped Out in MAXIM Raid
Maj. james Roosevelt Reticent
About Role in Marines Attack

Calf, killed three Japs before he
was wounded so seriously that he
was rushed aboard ship, virtually
given up for dead. The next morn
ing stunned watch officer saw him
hobbling about.
II have hunch I'll live if I walk
about Bit" he said. He did.
BY the second day, there were
dead Japs behind most every COCO
nut tree" said Col. Carlson.
Engines Shot Out of Bomber.
"On the battlefield, I picked up
a sword and pistol of the japanese
lieutenant colonel commandant and
turned it over to Comdr. John M
Haines fof Coronado, Calif.), who
presented 1t to Admiral Nimitz
(Admiral Chester w. Nimitz. COM
mander In chief of the Pacific
FleeD."
The final phase Of this incident
also was recorded photographically
One picture shows Admiral Nimitz
holding the sword and pistol of the
luckless Japanese lieutenant colonel.
1t. Oscar F. Peatross of Raleigh,
N. c.. led a group which got caught
behind the Japanese lines. In a
close exchange, they fought it out
with a Jap patrol and lost three
men but cut in from the rear, shot
down Jap runners, burned trucks
and destroyed q radio station.
Col. Carlson lauded it as "one Of
the coolest bits OF heroism." It was
1t. Peatross' baptism under fire.
A Jap bomber was caught by ma
rines while attempting to flee the
battle scene, but the invaders shot
away two Of It's engines and from
100 feet up 1t crashed, killing all
aboard.
Maj. Roosevelt summed up what
he thought of the raiding force
this way: Il don't think there is a
finer group of men insthe wosld."
Marines Handpicked for Job.
The operation was conducted by a
special unit which Col. Carlson and
Maj. Roosevelt had abeen training
for many months. - 80
Col. Carlson is a veteran Of marine
campaigns in Nicaragua and China
and had many old China hands with
him, but the average age Of the
battalion was %.
Maj. Roosevelt explained the ma
rines came from all parts of the
United States, were special volun-
teers, and had been handpicked
from 1000 marine candidates for
this work.
The japanese were on a contin-
uous alert" Col. Carlson said, "but
our attack was complete surprise.
I'VE were deployed when the
japanese defense force came up in
American-made trucks. There were
200 Japanese naval marines defend
ing the island, all young fellows OF
much better type than saw ir
China.
Our assault echelon was led by
1t. Wilfred S. LIE Francois, who got
five machine-gun bullets in his right
shoulder the first five minutes.
when the Japanese resistance
developed 1t was mostly machine
guns, automatic weapons and gren.
ades. They also were equipped with
flame throwers. but they didn't gel
to use the flames.
Snipers Do Most Damage.
"The snipers were well camouflaged
They did the most damage. W.
soon stopped the grenade throwers
I'VE foguht until 1870 in th%
morning, when the first Japanes.
air raiders came. Meanwhile oul
ships sank two Japanese ships sta.
toned there, a 3,500-ton transpor
reported to have so marines and {
crew Of 40 aboard and a gunboa
probably with 30 aboard. Nobod,
escaped from the burning ships.
Jap planes flying low strafed ane
bombed indiscriminately, not iniur
ing any of our men, but shootin,
some OF their own. Between al
raids hand-to-hand fighting wa
resumed.
There were three air raids tn,
first day and four the second day
They were apparently so confused
they fired at everything"
Maj. Roosevelt interjected that tn
natives were very cooperative.
| Food Supplies Destroyed.
"We heard several short bursts o
machine-gun in the afternoon an,