Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-02-19
Grand Rapids
Filler al Truk on
Reconnaissance.

KCSUlnlOlSullICh
PEARL HARBoR Feb. Is
UNs) One Of the photographers
who PRED the I'D OF Trlk ny TAX
ing reconnassnce photographs Of
Japans miehtiest citadel is =
former resident Of Grand Rapids
Mich.
Max l.. Winters Of Martnsville
Ind. = former newspaper photoe-
rapher for the Grand Rapids
Press was one Of the - marine
fiers who photographed Truk and
furnished the information for the
L. {. navy attack on the fortress
1T WAS a photographers held
day," he erlnned
I'VE were like bunch ~
shutterhugS with Dorothy La
mour standing around"
A SOUTH PACIFIC ATRBAsE
Feb. 4 Delayed CUP)--Two
marine corp pilots. the FIRST white
airrnen ever 10 see one Of Japan's
rnosr precious Secrets-the great
sea and air fortress AT Truk-
brought back accounts to-day ot
huge ship concentrations and an
island covered with airields and
heavy coastal guns.
Flying on q Photographic mis-
sion IN two Liberator bombers,
the airInen caught the japanese
by surprise ard spent 20 minutes
each over the stronghold, which
took more than 20 years 70 build.
FREAK WEATHER
The Lfberators. carrying p men,
successfully completed the daring
reconnaissance mission from the
Solomon Islands 10 the heart Of
the Japanese Carolines after n.y.
Ing nearly 900 miles over enemy
waters. battling tropical storms
and freak weather conditions
which put ice on their wings as
they crossed the Equator.
Marine Mai. James r. Christen-
sen. flight leader and pilot OF the
first plane over the target. said
Truk harbor was damned with
ships Of all types and descrip-
tons"
Capt James @. Yawn said he
counted IS warShips through one
small gap in the clouds.
ct looked ma II the whole
Japanese fleet was down there"
he added. "and / saw only part
of one of many anchorages. IL
was a beautiful picture: Gray
warships splashed with orange
every time the guns fired. rest
ing on the deep blue ocean. and
the clouds below ms polka
dotted with black puffs Of ack--
ack."
TREMENDOUS BARRAGE
ONLY Il bursts Of erratic anti
aircraft fire greeted the first OF
the two planes as i trundled over
the target at high altitude. But
the second ran into tremendous
barrage Of ack-ack. thrown UP by
alerted japanese on the ground
and aboard the mighty armada OF
ships IN the harbor.
Neither Liberator was damaged
AS the pair retired from Truk
through protective clouds. not one
of the Japanese fighters that
hastily scrambled aloft upon their
unexpected arrival had gained on
them.
Neither plane carried bomb
loads, but each crew tossed over
three-p augmentation
bomb as their ship few over the
enemy bastion--a sample from
the marines of things TO come.
Yawn's co-pilot. Capt. Edward
J. Sanders. spotted an island
which was a maze Of landing
fields and plane revetments.
FIELD OF PLANES
"strips Of taxi-ways and ships
covered the layout" he said.
There didn't seem m he room
IDF hHNAthhtk Ct-Tr NFNh h'AAe
quarters"
Second 1t. W. Paul Dean. q
navigator. told Of seeing resi-
dental section that looked like q
vast Florida country club. with
winding gravel roads lined with
shrubbery, acres Of green turf and
scores Of beautiful homes among
palm trees.
The Liberator crews were sick
from food poisoning most OF the
night before the flight and their
sleep had been interrupted by a
small japanese bombing attack.
AS q result 81 the illness. none
was able 10 eat either sandwiches
or coffee during the 12-hour flight.
in which the planes were out OF
sight Of land for 10 hours.
The planes returned with four
hours supply OF gasoline remain
ing
The crews paid tribute 70 the
Liberators for success Of the mis-
sion.
I'VE did what the manufac-
turers said was impossible"
Christensen said.
A similar American mission was
tt,y-oad hnrk NJ had weather IN