Evening star., 1943-07-25
Army Experts Solve
Problem Of Fishinq
For Trout on Attu
Nv MORLEY CASSIDY.

BY MORLEY CASSIDY.
HEADQUARTERS, ALASKA DE-
FENSE COMMAND, July 24.-For
proof that Attu, at the farthest tip
of the Aleutians, has been re-estab-
lished as an American community,
it is no longer necessary to read the
ohicial communications. There are
such facts as these:
First, that the fishing season is
well advanced, with a fine catch Of
Dolly Vardon trout-~and the best
of them running as long as from
here to there.
Second, that the circulation Of
the "Attu Dingbat" is growing by
leaps and bounds, with prospects
that cartoons and comic strip will
be added shortly.
Third, that Betty Cradle and
Dorothy Lamour are now entertain
ing the soldiers in their leisure
If any-moments, with Bob Hope
and Jack BENNY warming up in
their 16-millimeter film cans.
And, fourth, that 25-watt radio
station is all packed up and pre-
pared to start swinging out with
swing as soon as the boys get time
to set 1t up.
Army's Speed Praised.
Behind all this lies a story that
has been lost to sight amid battle
front reports. But it deserves to
be noted that the Army's speed in
battle Is almost matched by the
speed with which it can turn some
of the remotest spots in the north
ern hemisphere into communities
that have at least shadowy re-
semblance to normal American life.
The matter of Attu's trout-fishing
Is case in point.
The battle of Attu was still con-
tinuing-at least the mopping-up
operations were still in progress
when one group of battle-worn
troops, ordered out of the front
line to rest camp near Massacre
Bay, made a discovery: That the
streams near their camp were alive
with luscious looking trout.
And when they began looking into
the possibilities of bent pins, they
came up with a second discovery.
The Army, they found, had
thoughtfully brought along a hand
some assortment of fish hooks and
flies, as part of the vital equipment
for making Attu 100 per cent
American.
Flies Not Needed.
AS it turned out, the flies weren't
needed. The fish at Attu were
chiefly salmon, coming up the
streams to spawn, and Dolly Vardon
trout which, at this season, spurn
all food except salmon eggs.
This, however, was no problem at
all. The special services officers
who had come ashore with the first
landing parties waved a nonchalant
hand. Easy" they said.
Communicating a tin of raisins
from a mess kitchen, they dipped
the ralsins in red ink-where they
found red ink on Attu is still one
OF the mysteries of the special serv-
ices branch-and passed out an ac-
ceptable imitation of pink salmon
eggs, along with the fish hooks.
The imitation was acceptable not
only to the soldiers but to the trout
The Dolly Vardons snapped at the
raisins so hungrily that mess
kitchens all over Attu were soon
fragrant with the Odor of sizzling
trout.
The fish hooks, however, repre-
sented only an insignificant part of
equipment which the Army had
brought to Attu to give the recon-
quered island some semblance of
American civilization.
The group of special services Of
hcers who landed with the first
American troops to go ashore at
Massacre Bay on May II carried
with them stocks of cigarettes,
candy, playing cards, magazines and
books, for distribution in the hos
pitals.
Newspaper Soon Published.
They brought with them, too,
mimeograph machine and the Battle
of Attu was only FIVE days old
when the Attu Dingbat made it's
appearance, to give the fighting men
page of mimeographed news,
culled from American broadcasts,
concerning the progress of the war
in other theaters. as well as high
lights of news from the home front.
And one of the early cargoes to be
unloaded on the beach at Massacre
Bay contained another thoroughly
American product-three 16-milli-
meter projectors with wide as
sortment of Hollywood's latest pic
tures-some of them not yet re-
leased in the United States.
The motion pictures were marked,
fguratively speaking, "for use only
after mission is completed" But
with the island firmly in American
hands, the way was cleared for
shows in mess halls, providing a
spot of relaxation whenever the
arduous tasks permitted.