Evening star., 1943-09-15
Latest KuriIe Raid
Successful, Although
Costly, Flyers Say
By NORMAN BELL.

Associated Press War Correspondent.
AN ADVANCED ALEUTIAN BASE,
Sept. l3 Delayed As American
Army flyers told vividly today of
their latest and largest raid against
Japan's Kurile Islands, an intelli-
gence officer described the mission
as successful but costly.
Col Frank Fogle, intelligence Off
Ger of the 1Ith Air Force, said that
of the planes participating five were
presumed lost and five others may
have reached land after the raid.
"a Navy communique reported the
time as Monday, Paramushiro
time)
The raiders reported heavy dam
age to the Kashiwabara installations
on Paramushiro Island and to ship
ping in Paramushiro Strait.
They reported one ship was sunk,
one exploded after a direct hit and
another was left in flames by the
force of Mitchell medium bombers
which attacked at deck level.
Ten Zeros Shot Down.
The japanese Zero fighters CEN
tered their attack on the big four
engined Liberators which dropped
bombs from high altitude on the
Kashiwabara installations. Return
ing flyers said 10 Zeros were downed
and possibly four others in this
fourth aerial foray since July 10
against japanese home soil at Para
mushiro and the adjoining Shimishu
Island naval base by planes from
the Aleutians.
The greatest number of planes in
a previous raid was nine.
Japanese broadcasts reported
1S American planes were in
volved in the latest raid
Striking experiences were de-
scribed by the returned flyers as
they stood beside bullet-pierced
planes.
The told how 1t. Nels A, Lofgren,
"a, of Sheridan, Wyo., fired with his
As automatic pistol out of his CO.
pilots window in Liberator at an
attacking japanese Zero fighter.
1t. Lofgren confirmed the story
and remarked:
"Tll say they come in close
enough"
Much Worse Than Kiska Raids.
Technical Sergt. William Clark,
%, of Eunice, La, told of seeing
the youngest member of the attack
ing force, 19-year-old Staff Sergt.
Roy Cline of Knobsville, Pa, stand
ing alone at his side gun-among
fallen comrades-in a Liberator at
the height of the Zero attack
1t. Lofgren, Corpl, Charles Hopp,
90. of Chicago and several others
who had been on previous Para
mushiro raids, said both ground
and Zero resistance was heavier this
time.
Most of the flyers were veterans
Of bombing attacks on the Japanese
on Attu and Kiska and they agreed
with Second 1t William T. Dolly,
26, of Detroit, who asserted:
'Kiska and Attu were just Sunday
schools compared to this"
The flyers said the zeros, which
they estimated at 20 to 40, attacked
the big bombers as they started
back for the Aleutians after drop
ping their bombs. The leading
Liberator, with one motor in flames
and another disabled, was seen to
crash into the sea, breaking up as
1t hit. The tail gunner could be seen
still firing at strafing Zero as the
bomber struck.
Protected Crippled Plane.
Capt. w E. Ober, Ell Segundo.
Calf. praised another Liberator pi-
lot, Second 1t Robert Kemmerer
of Lock Haven, Pa.
He said 1t. Kemmerer maneu-
vered his plane into position to pro-
tect the crippled lead plane from
zeros, which pressed the attack
for nearly an hour
we weren't scared until the Zeros
closed in ana we saw the lead plane
go down." said Second 1t. Kenneth
j. Deuring, bombardier, Flint, Mich.
Until then we had been kidding
each other and laughing. But when
they started pouring it on we real
lied it was grim life-and- death
matter. 1t just seemed empty
thinking about those we lost"