Evening star., 1945-06-19
Buckner
artillery shell which Maj. Hubbard
believes was a 75-mm.
Continued From First Page.)

artillery shell which Maj. Hubbard
believes was 75-mm.
Gen. Buckner had been at the
forward observation post of the Sd
Battalion of the 9th Marine Regi-
ment, which went into the line
yesterday, for about two hours when
the shell hit.
He was standing with other off,
GERS in slight dishlike impression
on the forward slope of the ridge,
south of Kunishi Ridge.
Gen. Buckner had just been point
ing out interesting bits of action to
accompanying oficers-tanks spurt-
ing flames into cave positions, civil
ians leaving caves to surrender and
sharp fighting on an adjoining hill
side-when the first shell exploded
in the observation post and a frag-
ment entered his left breast.
They had been taking their own
bloody time about getting the
range" Maj. Hubbard said, 'for
when they fired they dropped six or
seven around there all of sudden. -
Gen. Buckner was sitting on a
rock at the time he was hit. After
the shelling Japanese snipers came
out.
Maj. Gen. Pedro A. del Vale said
the observation post was very close
behind the front line and the Kuni-
shi Ridge was still being cleaned up.
He lost 1900 casualties in TAX
ing the ridge with his 1st Marine
Division.
No one else in the observa ton post
was hurt by the six shells although
Maj. Hubbard added that Il and a
couple of officers might have been
scratched"
When Maj. Hubbard reached his
side the general was still breathing
but unconscious. HE didn't know
what hit him."
The 9th Regimental combat team,
whose units Gen. Buckner was
watching when he was killed, had
moved up to the front Sunday night.
It had attacked at am, by day
light had gained several hundred
yards. in coordination with the
9Th Marine Divisions 22d Regiment.
The combat team was under di-
rect command of Col. Clarence Wal
lace, Arlington, Va, and Manitou
Springs, Colo, and under general
command of Maj. Gen. Leroy P.
Hunt of Berkeley, Calf, hero of the
Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and
Tinian campaigns. Gen. Hunt only
recently was promoted from brig
adler general.
The team, first Marine unit to 70
overseas in this war, won presiden-
tial unit citations at both Guadal-
canal and Tarawa.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz, over
all commander of the operations,
formally announced Gen. Buck
ner's death today and issued this
message to the forces under his
command:
Although we join in grieving
over the loss OF your able and
courageous leader, 1t. Gen. Buckner,
all of us in the Pacific Ocean areas
take pride in the day of victory
on which he gallantly met SOL
dier's death.
by the achievements of the 10th
Army in the Okinawa campaign
under his leadership, we will all
gain new inspiration to overcome
any and all obstacles standing be-
tween us and final victory over
Japan"
Admiral Nimitz did not elaborate
on his reference to "the day of
victory" but Vice Admiral Harry
Hill, In message of coincidence,
also referred to Gen. Buckneris "un-
timely death In the hour of victory"
Expressions of regret also were
made by Secretary of War Stimson
and Secretary of the Navy Forrestal
and by Admiral Ernest King.
Only the day before Gen.
Buckner's death, Admiral Nimitz
stoutly had defended Gen. Buckner's
Okinawa operations against criticism
by Newspaper Columnist David
Lawrence
Calling an unprecedented press
conference at Guam, Admiral Nimitz
had declared his faith in Gen. Buck
ner's tactical decisions and highly
praised the 10th Army leader. He
asserted that criticism of the slow
ness Of the campaign and of failure
to land behind enemy lines was due
to the columnist being "misin-
formed Admiral Nimitz said a
plan TO land behind the enemy's