Evening star., 1943-12-09
rs to so Jap Torpedo Bombers
Beaten Off by Carrier Force
BY EUGENE BURNS,

Beaten off by (
BY EUGENE BURNS,
Associated Press War Correspondent.
ABOARD AN AIRCRAFT CAR
RIER OFF VOTE IN THE MAR
STALLS, Dec. 5 Delayed This
large carrier force, whose planes
sank two japanese light cruisers
'. and four other vessels yesterday in
a big raid on the enemy'S mid
Pacific Marshalls, has just finished
beating off an attack of ~ hours
by between As and so heavy torpedo
carrying bombers.
We had knitted into the Marshalls
and struck Kwajalein Atoll where
Roi airdrome is located We hit
Kwajalein hard, setting four Japa-
nese cargo ships and two cruisers
afire and leaving them sinking.
The dozen enemy planes which
took to the air promptly were
shot down.
! Before noon, we opened our deck
and took aboard our returning tor
pedo and dive bomber planes with
their Hellcat fighter escort, then
launched a new air combat patrol.
! We knew that we had stirred up
a hornestS nest in the Marshalls
and that the japanese would throw
everything available at us. How
ever, none of us guessed at its
intensity.
Torpedo Planes Shot Down.
Two minutes past noon, low fly
ing torpedo planes came within gun
fire range and dropped their tor
pedoes. They were shot down by
our antiaircraft batteries. One.
Two. Three. All exploded and
burned.
Swell, as long as they come in
during daylight" said the gunnery
officer, 1t. Comdr. F. R. Putnam.
We looked at the east toward
Pearl Harbor. There was cloud
formation, but not enough for pro-
lection.
The half moon seemed bright even
UtlOIG sunset.
AS the sun was sinking our
"squawkbox" sounded, Jap snooper
is closing"
That snooper will be only one of
many covering our retirement from
the area" said Donald White, our
torpedo plane skipper.
One cruiser opened fire with two
destroyers joining.
It's Mitsubishi." announced the
fire control aft. This is a heavy
bomber which Japan has had in
production about a year.
1t has two engines and can carry
two one-ton torpedoes.
Clocked at 300 M.P.H.
That morning our fighter skipper,
1t. Comdr. Phil Torrey, clicked one
at over 300 miles per hour.
The squawkbox at 9 pm. said, "A
group OF planes is closing. They
are dropping float lights. Another
group is off our starboard bow. now
closing"
In the darkness we strained to see
the swift, w-fying, death dealing
planes which carried enough dyna-
mite to blow our formation sky high
Comdr. White voiced his admira-
ton.
Those Japs are cool customers"
he said. Just look at them taking
more than two hours to get a fix on
US, then circling us and keeping
n4np1lNpr1no 81,
close in for the kill"
And so they did.
Ships began firing first to our port
beam, to our starboard. aft and dead
ahead. They fired almost simultane<
ously and then the japanese seemed
to withdraw.
Time for the dropped torpedoes to
make their runs passed. Nothing
happened.
Soon the japanese organizer who
had been nicknamed "Toio, the
Lamplighter," dropped some flares
as he circled us.
He was outlining our formation
Tor the boys on high.
Damned clever. those Japanese,
says an antiaircraft gunner.
More Parachute Flares Dropped.
For another three hours, until
midnight, the planes made their
runs at us and retired while Toto
kept lighting up the street lights.
Finally he dropped four parachute
flares which lit up even the heavens
for miles.
There was a low whistle behind
me-
Pass the strychnine," said a pilot.
I've had enough"
Every one is tense for the blow,
but it didn't come.
Il have to hand it to the admiral
for some nice evasive tactics,' said
the torpedo skipper.
Those Japs are good, but he's
giving them all he can to make it
harder"
God. I can't help remembering
the Liscome Bay" said gunner
aloud.
fThe Liscome Bay was an es-
cort carrier sunk by japanese
submarine during operations
around the neWly-won Gilbert
islands,
Il saw her explode the other
morning before dawn. The flash
must have gone up 10 miles"
Below decks, the tension must be
even worse. The men can't see.
They've been down for more than
20 hours