Evening star., 1945-01-14
Coast Guard Photographers Shoot
Way Out Of Tough Invasion Spots
BY w. H. Shippen, Jr.

Their cameras helped two young Coast
Guard combat photographers just back
from the Pacific to shoot their way
out Of some pretty tight spots on the
beaches from Hollandia to Leyte.
While 1t was tough at times to aim
view finders instead of guns, Pho
tographers Mates James G. w. Lunde,
rs. and Harry Watson, %, found that
hunting action shots kept them well UP
in the assault waves without too much
time to dwell on the casualty rate.
Fresh from the PHILIPPINE action, the
pair reported back to headquarters of
Coast Guard public relations here last
week after an assignment OF more than
year which sent them ashore under
fire with 10 amphibious landing forces.
Their pictures told their story in more
detail than either cared to recall.
Both men had served In the photo
graphic studio here for several months
before leaving for the Pacific in Novem-
ber Of I943.
Under Heavy Fire
They had gone ashore. mostly in LISTS
forming the second wave, in Hollandia,
at Aitape and Tanar Merah; Sarmi,
Wakde. Biak, Neemfoor, Sansapor, Mo-
rotai and Leyte.
On his first landing at Hollandia,
Lunde was plenty eager to get some pic
lures as his small craft approached the
beach. The coxswain advised him to
pull in his neck, and then said, "Okay,
it's your neck son!" There was a lot
Of noise, and 1t was some time before
Lunde realized what was making the
paint jump of the metal shield in front
of him.
Pinned down on another beach. while
men were hit alongside them, one of the
photographers thought he had moved
about, quite a bit to cover that tight
corner from several angles When he
later developed his pictures, however,
he found he had five shots Of the same
shell-blasted palm stumps
They learned how not to look like q
japanese sniper when they climbed trees
to get battle scenes. I'VE moved slowly
and kept waving our arms" Lunde said.
Some after-the-bat pictures they
sent back were captioned here in Wash
ington as scenes of troops salvaging
captured Japanese equipment.
Souvenier Hunters? =
Maybe those guys were salvaging that
stuff,' grinned one of the photographers,
but you couldn't blame them If they
picked up souvenir now and then to
send home to the folks-now could you?"
The other recalled that he had seen
a Japanese soldier sitting on a rock in
the surf at about the time some troops
opened fire on him. The Jap dropped
his rifle and Topped into the water.
Three Yanks dived for the rifle while
only one went after the escaping Jap.
Not that he got away, the photographer
added.
The pair are going home on leave
before their next assignment-Lunde to
see his wife back in Park Ridge, ILL.,,
suburb of Chicago, and Watson to be
with his wife in Los Angeles Lunde
was a free lance and commercial pho
tographer before he got into the service
and Watson had worked for news pic
ture syndicate.
The latter admitted that covering
murders would seem pretty tame after
his war service, but he wanted to get
back into the news game nevertheless,
once the war is won.
AS for Lunde, he's going back into
commercial art. Maybe won't be able
to find place." he said thoughtfully,
"but If I can't find one I'll have to
make oner"