Evening star., 1943-08-17
BY LEFT ERICKSON.

BY LEFT ERICKSON.
WITH U. S. AMPHIBIOUS IN
VASION FORCES ON VELLA' LA
VELLA, Aug. Is Delayed With
out firing shot. but ready for g
fight, veteran American jungle
troops landed today on Vella Lavella
Island. established major beach.
head only 10 miles from Kahiii, the
enemy's key Solomons air base or
the southern tip of Bougainville.
zero-escorted dive bombers of the
enemy came down from Kahili to
attack the invasion convoy only
after the first of the amphibious
sections had unloaded Army shock
troops, their ammunition and ra-
tions on a beach and was under
full speed home. None of the ships
was hit by bombs in this first early
morning raid, nor in two later at
tacks. But the last ships unload
ing were strafed in the enemy s
final air thrust of the day.
Thirty-four japanese planes were
shot down during the day in air
fights in which two of our fighters
were lost.
Where our troops landed are a
few thatched huts on the southeast
coast of Vella Lavella, Is miles
across the Vella Gulf from Kolom-
bangara.
so Miles Northwest of Munda.
The second successful American
invasion thrust in As days cuts into
the rear of the enemy's Villa garri-
son on kolombangara and is about
so miles northwest of the captured
Munda airfield on New Georgia.
The landing indicates the United
States command plans to bypass
the Villa airfield base and starve
out the enemy garrison there by
siege and blockade rather than
make a direct attack through diff
cult jungle.
went ashore with the first wave
of landing boats. Higgins landing
boats raced back and forth between
the ships and the narrow reef
bound beech without mishap-ex-
cept my boat hit coral rock.
Under orders to hit the extreme
right edge of the beach, 1t. q. g.
Frances B. Rauch of St. Charles,
Mo-, our ship boat officer, was forced
outside clear water by boats crowd
ing in from other ships.
Our boat jolted on a jutting coral
spike and stopped more than 10
feet from shore. The ramp was
dropped and soldiers jumped into
hip-deep water to wade ashore.
A second boat hitched a line to
the grounded craft and also went on
a. rock.
Destroyers Screen Task Force.
1t. Rauch stepped off into water
up to his neck to lead soldiers cut
to help free the two boats. Strug-
Cling soldiers finally released them.
with the help of tow from a third
boat.
AS a result of hitting the rocks,
our boats were the slowest unload
ing in our group of vessels. Tall
boyish-faced Rauch was bitterly
chagrined over the bad break which
spoiled the performance of his
crews.
The first wave of troops unloaded
included specially trained Barra-
cudas. One group of ships brought
in the main force of Army troops
and Marine Corps. antiaircraft and
artillery detachments.
Another group of ships equipped
for fast unloading came in with
heavy guns, vehicles and the bulk
of supplies.
A strong force of destroyers
screened and protected all groups of
the amphibious task force.
I was back aboard a destroyer, re-
turning to base port when the
enemy's first bomb attack started
Our group of ships had been under
way about half an hour. Ack-ack
fire dotted the sky with black smoke
puffs. The men on my ships look
out stations saw two enemy planes
falling. Four other dive bombers
pulled out close over the water.
Their bombs splashed in the water
around ships unloading and stand
ing by to unload, but none was hit.
One bomb fell wide of it's mark, far
astern one of our destroyers.
Fighters Down "a Planes.
We could see our fighters wheeling
high overhead. We learned later
that our fighter planes effectively
protected the unloading of the ships
throughout the day, shooting down
"a enemy planes while losing only
two.
Watching on the bridge, Chief
Quartermaster Joseph D. Griggs of
San Francisco said:
You know we're an awfully lucky
ship. We always get in or get out
just before or just after the
bombings."
Gun crews at their stations did
not get chance to fire a shot No
enemy plane came close enough.
Typical of the kind of men in the
Barracuda force were four soldiers I
found playing a vigorous game of
knock rummy" on the deck on the
voyage north to the invasion point
mo further explanation of
Barracuda" forces has been