Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-11
By TECH. SERGT. JEREMIAH A
OIEARY,

By TECH. SERGT. JEREMIAH A.
OLEARY.
GUAM DelayedD.-This is the
story of q battle behind our lines,
in which marines annihilated a
Japanese force which broke through
in the night to knock out our mortar
batteries.
AThe lines of the regiment were
stretched paper-thin by casualties
from the first four days fighting.
The enemy began the action at
nightfall. The marines finished it
three hours after dawn.
To prepare the marines for the
expected attack, Maj. Lowell E.
English Of Bremerton, Wash, a bat
talon executive officer, passed the
word at shutdown to challenge any
thing that moved during the night
Even then, his words were pune
tuated by a strengthening cres-
cendo Of enemy rifle fire from across
the ridge to the east where the
enemy lies entrenchd.
Firing Lasts Through Nixht.
All through the night the firing
continued. Telephone communica-
ton between the command post and
the front lines went out at 3 a. M,
adding to the confusion. Flares
Illuminated the gullies, ridges, and
the serrated terrain of the Asan
River Valley which we defend. The
hfgh-pitched crack of the japanese
rifles sounded all around us. The
heavier roar of the MI rifles and
the chatter of our machine guns
replied to the unfriendly sounds.
Our heavy mortars, which had
been firing internationally to throw
the Jap off balance, ceased firing
shortly after S a. m. A burst Of
firing and confused shouting
sounded through the dark from the
mortar emplacements below us. No
one knew what was happening.
Then First 1t. Edmund L. Coombs
OF Booth Bay Harbor, Me-, the NOR
tar officer, dashed in to the COM
mand post out of breath.
THE Japs have broken through!
Sixty of EN-! They've killed two of
my men and they've got our NOR
tars!"
The commanding officer, 1t. Col.
Eustace Smoak of High Point, N. c..
took the news calmly.
All right" he said, well have to
get them back"
1t was now light enough to see
First 1t. Thomas E. Norpeu of
Newark, N. j., the battalion intel
hgence officer, passed out binoculars
ana the search for the japanese on
the slopes behind us began.
Marines Advance From Beach.
From the direction of the beach,
4 long, thin line of marines advanced
slowly towards the danger area,
their rifles at the ready, some of
them shirtless and helmetless. They
were artillerymen, cooks, truck
drivers, tankmen, a HETEROGENEOUS
collection of marines who seldom
get a chance to tangle with the
enemy at first hand. They had
heard the firing and scented blood.
Slowly, the two lines of men
Marines from the front and ma
rlnes from the rear-converged on
the Asan River gulches. 1t was open
country, but full of hidden foxholes
and ravines.
First 1t. Howard E. Cousins of
Fort Kent, Me-, battalion adjutant,
started down the hill armed with
only a grenade
I'm going down and get those
mortars!" he flung over his Shout
der. Ignoring the whistling bullets
OF friend and enemy alike, 1t Cous-
ms strobe down the saddle towards
the ravine where 1t. Norpell's OBJ
servers had spotted suspicious
movements. He drew near the
gulch, crouched, then heaved the
grenade in a curving arc towards
the target. A puff of smoke rose
and dying japanese howled.
Japs Take Own Lives.
Now the marines from the ar
tlllery batteries, turned infantry
men, flushed more Japs. Three
enemy soldiers rose from conceal
ment and tried to run. A hail of
bullets riddled them before thew
had gone 10 yards. Five more
japanese threw up their hands in
token OF surrender. The marines
beckoned them on. Suddenly. the
slight, uniformed figures of the
enemy threw themselves BELLY
downward on the earth. The ma
rines scattered like chaff. There
were five explosions The Japs had
clasped hand grenades to their alb
oomens, and pulled the pins to die
by their own hands.
All around the other marines
were combing the area. Now and
then there were shots. A SQUAD re-
captured the 8l-millimeter mortars
and found them unframed, al
though mines were found on the
bodies OF some Of the Japs.
All at once, the battle was over
The japanese were all dead. Be-
- -