Evening star., 1943-01-01
Half of Defenders
Believed Killed.;
All Planes Safe
By OLEN w. CLEMENTS,
Correspondent Representing All
Press Associations on This
Special ASSIGNMENT.

SpectdL Assignment.
ABOARD A BOMBER OVER
WAKE ISLAND, Dec. "a de
layedJ Huge American bomb
ers plunged from the high
heavens today on unsuspecting
Wake Island and plastered the
Japs with $4,000 pounds OF
bombs in the biggest mass raid
of the Pacific war.
Possibly more than half the JAP
defenders were killed. There were
no American casualties.
Intense fires were started both on
Wake Island and adjoining Peale
Island. The Japs were caught in bed
one minute after midnight. Their
anti-aircraft fire, which didn't start
until long after the first bombs ex-
ploded, was wild and the frightened
Japs could be seen in the brilliant
moonlight running madly for their
dugouts.
Bombs Crash Down.
In a split second the bombs
crashed all over both islands. Fires
cracked everywhere.
CA Toxic communique was
quoted by the Berlin radio Christ
mas Day as saying that United
States Flying Fortresses which
struck from the region of Mid
way" the night of December %
had caused -four small fires"
killed one japanese and wounded
four on Wake Island. 1t declared
four of the raiders were shot
down and six were damaged.
(The raid on Wake Island was
the third made by American
planes since the japanese cap
tured the island December %,
194l. The first was Navy car
rier plane attack last February "a
when two Japanese patrol boats
were sunk, three large seaplanes
demolished and major shore in
stallations were destroyed. The
second attack was made by the
Army's heavy bombers the night
of June 27)
Long Line Of Planes.
FIcClScly dt IuluillSllt Vic lilSiie
leader, Col. William A. Matheny Of
Darlington, N. OAK, tipped on his
radio and called to the long line Of
planes behind him:
"Jhis Is it, boys. I'm going to get
those yellow -"
The nose of his plane slanted
down. The engines roared. There
beyond the nose of his bomber lay
Wake Island, where for 16 days dur
ing December, 1941, United States
Marines made one of the most gal
liant stands in history.
Faster and faster the bomber
plunged in, its nose pointed at a
long row of buildings on Peacock
Point. The island was blacked out.
Co-Pilot 1t. E. H. Carey of Gridley,
Calf, was pouring coal to four
engines" and droning out the in
creasing speed and the decreasing
altitude to Col. Matheny.
Down and down the plane sped, its
occupants watching on all sides for
signs of anti-aircraft fire. None
came.
Brilliant Red Flashes.
Col Matheny pulled her nose up
Suddenly brilliant red flashes were
seen below. Then more and more
The bomber was streaking through
the air at terrific speed.
when are you going to turn loose
those incendiaries?" Col. Matheny
asked the bombardier, 1t. D. D
Manchester of Spokane, Wash.
Gone, sir" the lieutenant replied
And at that moment huge fash
was seen.
Planes on each wing let theirs &c
at the same time. When the colone
turned his ship, every one of thu
buildings in that long row wer'
afire. No japanese was seen to rur
from them.
Still there was no anti-aircraf
fire.
Dozens more bombers began tt
hit all sections of both islands.
Finally after what seemed al
eternity, a few Japs managed tt
reach two ack-ack guns and let g
wildly. Shells burst fully 5000 fee
above and two miles away from th'
nearest American plane. Thel
machine guns unlimbered ant
tracers began to hunt the plane
above.
Two searchlights popped on below
Their beams caught the leading
plane, but almost instantly the.
went out.
Tracers Fell Short.
Tailgunner Sergt. w. G. Will o
Lehighton, Pa, who was instructe'
to shoot out any light that caugh
the plane in its beam, didn't evel
fire shot at them. Nor did he re
turn the fire of machine guns. In
stead he Just sat and watched tn
tracers fall far short of thei
target.
More searchlight beams began t.
sweep the sky. Gunners in othe
(See WAKE, Page A-5O