The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-19
Planes Live Up To Names

EDITORS NOTE: United Press War Correspondent William F. Ty- rec, representing the combined Am ericAn Press, flew over Two lima to- Gay shortly after the invasion bat tie 5egaD. He started out in a navy photographic plane which was fore ed to turn back, but he resumed his tip in bomber. His eyewitness dispatch follows:
 BY WILL AM F. THREE United Press War Correspondent
 Representing the Combined
 American Press)
 In a plane over Two lima, Feb. l9
 (UP)-(Via Navy Radio)--Amer- ican marines stormed ashore to ob- tain a beachhead on Two lima to- day, as the tiny gourd- shaped is- land rocked under one of the heaVi- est naval bombardments of the Pa cific war.
 However, the Japanese were fighting from their underground defenses, twice as we swung over Mount Suribachi's crater at the south end of the island and around the northern wooded section, the Japanese gave us bursts of antt-air- craft.
 AS we approached the islands hundreds of small craft moved to- ward the beach, unleaShing thous- ands of rockets.
 Waves of marines followed within 45 minutes.
 Smoke and dust covered the en- tire island. Two itself looked like fat pork chop sizzling on the skill let as carrier planes swept in under us strafing and bombing every in- stallation they could find.
 One fighter crashed in flames just inland from where the marines struggled to consolidate their beach head. In the calm water off the island, hundreds of ships maneuv- cred endlessly while old pre-War battleships-New York, Texas, Ne vada, Arkansas, Idaho and Tennes- see-fired from their squat gun platforms.
 There wasn't single Japanese plane in the sky
 Two Island appropriately was named Hot Rock" for the occasion of this attack. Our aircraft per- sonnel cflattered furiously over the command radio as they took sta tions for continuing the fight.
 Two Navy photographic planes with Webley Edwards of CBS, rep resenting the combined networks, and myself, representing the com bined American press, took of from the Marianas early this morning, hut Edwards plane was Lucky Louie" It got there first and mine, The Lemon, lived up to it's name and sprang a disastrous leak three hours out.
 After a disheartening return to base, pilot. It. Comdr L. R. Gehl- back, Beacon, III, grabbed another bomber and we reached the target about 10 a. m, just as the fight began to get rough,
 Co-Pilot Ensign John G. Schell. Jr., AsheWlle. N. C., gave me head phones as we heard the Marines calling for fire support from the fleet Bursts of orange flames sorang from the muzzles of the bat tleships and cruisers big guns and huge columns of smoke and fire rose skyward from the island seconds later.
 It was a systematic murder and destruction. Suribachi's crater steamed from successive hits along its ridges overlooking the beach ] could see many formidable pill boxes along the beaches as we'll as a few rusty ship hulls, already put out of action.
 None of our surface forces had been disturbed by enemy counter sction by midafternoon, although the water literally was alive with Yanks either going ashore or carry ing supplies to beach.
 The invasion armada had spread out for scores of miles around the island. There was no mistaking tine fact that the Americans ar- rived to stay on Toyko's doorstep but the fight looked like 1t would require a week or more before the finish. and as if an awful lot of blood would be spilled before 1t was over.
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