Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-10-14

as We hurtled our way back
Caught apparently with only the
briefest warning thc kapopo air
CroMC- nesting ground Tor Japan s
western Pacific heavy sirciall
strcngta-learned 10 all ITS de
NaStEunE- intensity The power Oh
an American Warpiane attack.
Even As our forward guns be
san cutting sWath across
Rapcpo. other stTsfinE Mitchell
bombers could be seen racing
against Nunakanau srdrome
Seconds later, the scene was
etched with billoVlnC clouds OF
black smoke and towers Of fires.
To coin MoId. Rahaul was
"WeWaklzed The impossible has
been done again-and with accom-
-phShHnCnt OF the impossible
months of planning and prepare
tfe.fs and fttttt'S- If t--ftstA- IN jte4f'a-
ton have come 10 an end.
We needed a tactical surprise
II we were 10 gam the victory
we all were so eager for today
and tactical surprise was ours,
SWING TO TARGET
This correspondent rode NTH
Maj. Jof1n tJockt kenesft OF
plalnfield Hills. III. veteran Of 80
combat missions against the foe
Co-pilot 1t. Edward Murphy Of
Oak Park. IT. and navigator 1t.
Abraham Softer Of Brandford,
Conn. our deadly bomber was APP
propriatcly enough named "Notre
Dame de ViCtoire our lady OF
Victory.
In formations spread thousands
of wards across the skies with
Iockheed Lightnings keeping an
eternal, welcome vigilance as far
as the eve could see, we roared
from our advanced striking base
just after dawn this morning.
For hundreds of miles. never
climbing more than 90 feet above
the Waterline and maintaining
absolutely unbroRen radio silence,
we sped toward the target.
We all realized the momentous
occasiof1-it was the first time in
the history OF the Pacific warfare
that escorted assault and bonn
bardment units had been sent TO-
penetrate the Japs' fortress-like
ack-ack defense around Rabaul.
BY midmorning we were over
the ranges protecting Rapopo and
Nunakanau from the east. The
Vunakanau force and its eSCorting
fighters swung sharply TO the left
while 1t. Col. Don Hall of Corpus
Christi. Tex, hero Of the first
Wewak raid, attacked with the
second of three powerful elements.
comprising the Rapopo force.
CoNNERGES FIRE
We struck in split formations Of
three, each echelon sweeping
across the airdrone and dispersal
bays in beautiful waves. From a
vantage point behind Henebry,
bombs and machine gun fire from
Halls lead ship could be seen
punmellng down on the alrdrome
installations In sc conds the
whole path in front of us was
holocaust of air fire, ground fire
and bomb explosions.
A little later. Henebry opened
his guns in a series of ear Shatter-
ing salvoeS aimed at annihilating
secondary anti-aircraft batteries.
On our left Capt. Richard Ellis
of Laureldel, La, who also dis
tineuished himself at WeWak, was
swaying his fire between a Jap
medium bomber attempting 10
scramble off the 'drome and COW
ering bursts for his wingmen.
On the right, 1t. Charles Howe
of Ventura, Cal, plotting Here S
How" was converging his fire on
the western dispersal bays with
noteworthy results.
Three ships abreast, we roared
over the target al the MltchellS'
MISUNDERSTANDING spe d. our
bombs dropped among a cluster
of 133 parked aircraft white our
weaving machine gun FIRE made
a Fourth of July spectacle for air
personnel and installations on the
right side of Rapopo.
Then with the breath-taking
suddenness typical Of assault a'ia-
ton, we were off the target and
awav from intentionally fierce
jap antl-aircraft fire which pune
tuated the skies around Us.
AIRCRAFT AFIRE
A quick look back disclosed the
majority of the enemy's aircraft.
smouldering or afire where 1t was
found when we arrived. Far back