The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-22

5 told that it was to make a cloud level 30 miles from us and shot down.
 11:05 a. m.-Our planes attack eight enemy cruisers in column. Midway reports shooting down eight enemy planes and says the islands airdrome has not been damaged in the Japanese plane attack. One of our patrol planes is attacked by en- emy planes and we launch more fighters.
 Attacking Eemy
 1920 p. m.--A second air group the first enemy carrier and locate is attacking the enemy. We received the message from our fighters Here they come" The enemy fighters cone in. clouds, 12 miles away, and our planes are told: "Ster on 1t. The enemy is intercepted"
 12:30 p. m.-Some of our bomb- CTS and fighters are already return ing from the attack on Japanese carriers. Some are missing but they have all dropped bombs and tor pedoes. One torpedo bomber crashes in the water 500 yards from our car- rier. The pilot climbs out on wing dripping wet and waving, and gets cheer. A destroyer picks him up more bcmbers return.
 1:40 D. m. = Enemy planes are sighted. The fleet signal Is run up "Preprae to repel attack" Oul planes attack. The enemy planes break up and drop their bombs il, the water.
 2:45 p. m.-The Japanese planes start a torpedo attack on our sec- ond group. Anti-aircraft fire starts and the sky is suddenly filled witl, black puffs. An enemy plane crash es. The entire sky is speckled with black puffs. An enemy plane crashes. The entire sky is speckled with bursts. Torpedoes and bombs send up great geysers of water Two more palnes are down. A Japa- nese suicide pilot plunges in hic plane against the stack of one oul carriers. His mates flee. 2 cruiser. and two destroyers are sent to helE our carrier. But 1t is soon under way at IT knots and 1t breaks out new battle flag, a huge ensign.
 Two of its scout planes, out oi gas, pancake to the water because they cannot go aboard. There is 6 comforting report that 8 Japanese carrier has been hit and Midway reports no more trouble from thu Japs.
 Find Cruisers Are Light
 4 p. m.-We locate enemy aircraf and again prepare to repel attack Our carriers fighter planes ar, ready in line and take of. A voic' on the fighter circuit radio pleads Hurry upl" The fighters swoop ol the enemy and we see one enem. plane explode.
 Another group of Japanese plane! come wave-hopping across the gilt tering sea out of the sun. They come with unbelievable speed. w open fire. The sky is cross ,betweer asthree ring circus and @ Fourth ot July fireworks display. About 1( torpedo planes hit the hail of steel Four cannot face 1t and pull out One of our fighters tails the Japa- nese into the anti-aircraft blasts Almost too late, he wings up tC safety. The first torpedoes splash into the water 5000 to 4,000 yards away. Another comes within 60t yards and cuts across our bow.
 We can see its wake bubbling a. it goes on. The plane which fires il bursts in our anti-aircraft fire like 8 10-cent firecracker. Another enemy plane, pulling up, bursts 1T mid air. We can see the pilots body pop out of the wreckage. A split second before he died he gave us burst of machine gun fire and thu bullets .zinging into the water along side, send up a splashing track. 4 wing tip, painted dullish red witt the rising sun of Japan bobs In thu water. Our fire is so intense tha the decks seem to buckle under 1t Planes of both sides are fighting The thin-skinned Japanese Zero burst into orange flames and fluttel down like flares. Some of our palnei crash too. But the attack has beer beaten, and a cheer goes up.
 Planes Do Not Come
 5:40 P. M.-There is another at tack alarm but the enemy planes dt not even reach us. Our second tasl force is under attack and we can set the planes on the horizon, welcome news comes from Midway: Enemy ships, including battleships, carriers cruisers and transports have beer hit many times by our bombers. WI hear there are three burning enemy ships 170 miles from Midway. News comes that we have deS- troyed two enemy carriers and badly damaged two others. The crew whoops and yells: Sink 'em! Finisl 'em!" We realize that we are hoarst because we have been yelling ana cursing all day.
 7:20 P. M.-We form an anti submarine screen, and steam off tC pursue the enemy. The planes are 1T constant contact with the enem. planes. Tension is relaxing. A littll Greek sailor from Brooklyn wonder whether the Dodgers won today.
 >8:56 P. M.-The enemy is retiring Our last report is that the enem.