The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-12-04

with my men," And he did. Gem
eral Wainwright (shown above) IL
now prisoner Of the Japs.
the very guns Of the invaders and
hurled 400 tons Of TINT and steel
into Jap shipping and shore install
lations in Kiska harbor. In the bat
tie Of Kiska only one observation
plane was lost. Not as much as
machine gun bullet hit the fleet.
Since that time the Japs have
pulled out of the Aleutians, with
the exception of Kiska, their main
stronghold, and the United States
has strengthened it's position
against them by occupation Of the
Andreanof group of the Aleutians-
much closer to Jap-held Kiska.
Old Glory Hoisted in Solomons.
On the very day when the Japs in
Kiska took such a pounding from
U. S. forces-exactly eight months
to the day after Pearl Harbor-Old
Glory was hoisted by U. S. marines
over the first territory taken back
from the Japs. This glorious event
took place on the mountainous is
land of Guadalcana1, key to the Sol
ONION Islands in the Southwest Pa
cific. This 100-mile long island lies
athwart the strategic route to Aus
tralia.
The Japs had labored long in
hacking an airfield out Of the tropi-
cal wilderness of Guadalcanal. The
marines took it away from them,
and there has been a continuing
day and night battle for possession
of the airfield ever since. In their
efforts to recover this vital airfield
Henderson Field) and the key is
land, the Japs have risked placing
the main force of their navy within
range of MacArthur's deadly Fly
ing Fortresses and the "Forts" that
roar up off of Henderson Field.
We have lost some fine ships in
the region Of Guadalcanal, but
losses on the island have been light
compared to what the Japs have
lost-according to navy reports their
losses run four or five times as
heavy as ours. However, there has
been running battle for continued
possession of the island on the part
of the U. S., and for re-possession
on part of the laps. Day and night
the pounding goes on, from sea and
sky, but the marines, backed by the
army and navy, have hung on and
have made some gains. ID
A real showdown between U. S.
and Jap forces in the Solomons came
about in mid-November when the
greatest naval battle since Jutland
in 1915 was fought. Supported by
MacArthur's big bombers the navy,
in a three-day running battle,
smashed tremendous enemy
armada, lifting the immediate threat
to U. S. positions on Guadalcanal.
AS we pause to remember Pearl
Harbor, we must, to get the overall
picture, have in mind the heroic
work of U. S. air pilots over China,
and IT,, S. air pilots cooperating
with the Royal Air Force in al
most daily or nightly operations
over Hitler's Reich, and over what
was known as Occupied France. We
must remember the fine work done
by American troops in cooperation
with Australians, who have pushed
back the Japs in New Guinea, turn
ing the tide of battle in the Owen
Stanley mountains, saving Port
Moresby, and helping to removes the
threat from Australia. Day by day
through all the months this has been
going on-brave men dying-while
we take time out to read about it.
Opening Of the Second Front.
Things came to a head in the Afri-
can desert early in November. Thou
sands Of American boys, tank men
and aviators participated in the
great push Of the British Eighth
army against Gen. Erwin Rommeps
Afrika Korps, which at one time
was dangerously close to the Suez
canal - one Of Britain's darkest
hours. Swiftly on the heels Of this
battle, which became a rout'as Brit
ish forces broke through the Ell Ala
mein line, America got the world
shaking news of the opening Of the
long expected Second Front at an
unexpected spot in North Africa. on
Saturday, November z.
All, we've forgotten for the mo-
ment that raid on Dieppe, in Occu-
pied France-that dangerous, costly
raid last August when American
Rangers were the first actual units
to participate in land operations on
the continent during this war. The
Dieppe raid was not only q re-
hearsal for the second front, but
also a red herring drawn across the
bloody Nazi trail. The Dieppe raid
was the foundation Of the magnifi-
cent succeEs with which the AEF in
/ North Africa was launched, under
fhe brilliant leader, Gen. Dwight
{ Eisenhower. sA]gA 8 IS