Evening star., 1943-04-30
BY CHARLES P. ARNOT,

American Correspondent with U. s. Forces
In the Central Pacific.
distributed by the Associated Press)
WITH U. S. ARMY AERIAL
TASK FORCE IN THE CENTRAL
PACIFIC, April % Delayed 1t
will cost you 10 hours in the cramped
forward compartment of a four
engined Liberator bomber for a five
minute preview of the destruction
facing Japan, but it is a bargain
price for the spectacle you see.
The lieutenant colonel in the pi-
lots seat nudged the lieutenant
colonel in the co-pilot's seat beside
him and pointed at a geyser of
smoke spouting from a little coral
atoll in the distance.
'Nauru dead ahead, general" he
announced over the intercommuni-
cation system. Brig Gen Truman
H. Landon, commander of bomber
operations in the Central Pacific,
acknowledged the message from the
rear of our bomber where he was
manning a waist gun and serving as
command pilot.
~ w 90 oAAtOoV 1ASOkl 1Ap1 IL a.
Great NavigationaI Feat.
The four-engined Liberators, strik-
ing twice in force within So hours,
carried out the longest aerial task
force mission of the war, an out
standing navigational feat consider
ing that the bombers flew farther
than from England to Iran just to
reach an advanced base within
striking distance of their targets
The actual bombing flights required
further expert navigation.
1t was the opening phase in a new
campaign of guerrilla style" aerial
warfare in the Pacific To knock
out the valuable phosphate plants
on Nauru Island was the first OBJ
jective Of our aerial task force.
The second mission, which was
carried out early today, found the
Liberators striking against the Jap
anese base at Tarawa in the North
ern Gilbert Islands
Visibility was unlimited as We ap-
preached oval-shaped Nauru, where
the japanese last August seized the
important phosphate works and con-
structed an airfield to guard the
outer approaches to their island
fortress Of Iruk, 1000 miles north
west.
There was no need to wonder
whether the earlier waves of bomb
ers found their objective. Flames
were shooting hundreds of feet into
the air
One of the bombers which made
the early visit carried Maj. Gen.
Willis H. Hale, commander Of the
7th Air Force, who also led the
TaraWa assault.
Since the pre-dawn take-off We
had flown over hundreds of miles Of
open sea. Now beeline course car
ried us straight toward pinpoint
target.
Three distinct fires blazed along
Nauru's southwestern and western
coastal area, where the japanese
had constructed an airdrome and
took over the British installations
Four-fifths of the atoll, which has
an area of 81 square miles, is phos-
phate bearing.
We spotted two Zeros trailing
four big Liberators which had swung
away from the target in close forma-
ton and headed for home The
Zeros apparently we're reluctant to
challenge the bombers' fire power.
Below and ahead Of us four more
Liberators sped over the target
heaping fresh devastation on the
blazing installations.
Black smoke billowed from point
midway along the airleld, showing
a direct hit on oil storage tanks. At
the southwest end of the runway
gasoline stores sent up bright orange
flames. To the northwest fires blazed
in the marine barracks and on the
airf1eld itself were three medium
bombers, one burning.
Phosphate Works Battered.
We looked for. the main objective,
the phosphate works, and saw both
plants had been battered. Even from
the air it was obvious that months
of repair work would be necessary
before the japanese could obtain
pIoceSSeu pIloSpIldGeS from NduTu LOT
fertilizer and munitions production.
The Importance of this is indicated
by the fact that Nauru and nearby
Ocean Island contributed per cent
of the worlds prewar supply
AS we went in bursts of antiair-
craft fire blossomed around us, and
you could hear fragments spatter
against the fuselage, but we kept a
steady course.
Bombs away" the bombadier
shouted, and you could see the big
fellows plummeting at the target for