Evening star., 1943-09-30
By GEORGE WELLER.
War Correspondent of The Star ant
Chicago Daily News.

War Correspondent Of The Star and
Chicago Daily News
FUNAFUTI, Ellice Islands. Sept. 8
Delayed On September 7, exact
ly II months after the first coconut
palms fell marking the beginning of
an airdrome on the narrow finger
nail edo of the F1lnafuti atoll and
almost at the same hour as Italy's
surrender, japanese bombs rained
down on Nanumea, northernmost
island of the Ellice group.
With the crash of these bombs, the
Americans locked forces with the
japanese definitely for the first time
since the Midway battle, in a new
struggle for control of the Central
Pacific.
The battle now going on for the
waters between the Jap-held Gilbert
Islands and the American-held FL
Ices, and for the islands themselves,
every one Of which is a potential
anchored aircraft carrier, is the least
known and understood of the whole
Pacific war.
The Ellices are an unknown
front" They have been the scene
of long-range bomber tfrusts, as in
late April when B-24s flew from
Funafuti to bomb the phosphate
bearing island of Nauru and a Jap
alton were heavily bombed at their
Funafuti base by Jap long-range
bombers.
Attacked by IL Jap Bombers.
The arms-length struggle moved,
on September 7, into jabbing dis
tance when IL long-range japanese
heavy bombers attacked Nanumea
Island by daylight. The raid, un-
usually heavy for any place east OF
the Solomons, followed closely on a
series of visits of peeping Jap photo
graphic planes to the three chief
islands of the Ellice group north OF
Ftmafuti-Nanumea. or st. Angus
tine, Nukufetau, or De Peyster's
atoll, and Nui, also known as Egg
Or Netherland Island.
Although with characteristic Navy
secrecy, our advance from Funafutl
through the Ellice Islands had been
calculated to keep the Japs in ignor-
ance until the last possible moment,
1t was unavoidable that landing op-
erations should eventually be seen
by snooping japanese search planes.
AS the still unnamable admiral
In command here remarked, 1--WE
expect the Nanumea forces to be
bombed before long"
Unlike the Solomons and New
Britain Islands where the waves
of the open ocean beat directly
on the beaches, the Ellices are al
most all partial or complete atolls
like Funafuti.
Jap Photo Plane Downed.
Such was our first landing place,
while the forces of Gen. Douglas
Macarthur and Vice Admiral Will
liam F. Halsey, jr.. were stealing
the march on the Japs by rushing
their landing craft, light tank car
riers and equipment directly ashore
under cover of darkness. Naval
and marine forces here. taking the
nid-Pacific route to Toxic, were
forced by the peculiar atoll for
nation to work "a hours a day in
order to circumvent or get across
these reef-fringed, diabolically
tricky and almost completely un-
charted islands.
Before the bombing occurred
which put the Americans and Japs
in their present grapple, Marine
fighter pilots we're able. however,
to gain for their comrades on eX-
posed and vulnerable Nanomea sew
eral days respite by trapping jap
anese Photo joe and shooting
him down. This interval made it
possible for the Marine and naval
detachments working by daylight,
to hold their long Jump toward
Japan without being attacked Later
new Jap photo planes slipped
through and heavy bombing fol-
lowed.
For more than year, the Ma
rines under Maj. Gen. Frederick
Price, have been impatiently await
ing chance to fight. Now, despite
Jap bonlbings, they have frightened
by $50 miles our still wide and
loose fence around Japan, from the
Aleutians to India They have taken
the whole Ellice group where they
formerly possessed only its circular
pendant. Funafuti.
Careful preparation by Gen Price
a leatherneck general who speaks five
languages but usually addressse his
subordinates by their Christian
names-has made it possible for
this force to steal a march on the
Japs comparable to that which they
stole against America in occupying
the Aleutians.
Through this adroit move the
Navy and Marines have rubbed off a
protruding bit from the Jap-held
arc in the Pacific The Ellices,
while never actually occupied by
Jap forces, were the outermost
bulge in the great half circle of their
conqnests which made them the pos