The Wilmington morning star., 1945-05-28
SOLDIERS ESCAPE
JAP-FILLED AREA
Nv RICHARD c. BERGHoLz

BY kFCdAAD y. DEnUdOLZ
CEBU, P .1.-tR-About a doz-
en- men of the American division
mopping up Japanese in the noun
tains of Cebu, became separated
from their company and got trap
ned in a Japanese bivouac area.
For a day and night, they tried
to get out. They couldn't make it.
They tried in groups of two and
three. Or, as in the case of Lieuten-
ant Thomas o. Smith, Jackson.
Tenn, they tried singly but ac-
cidentally. Smith was trying to re-
establish contact with the COM
pany when he walked right into
a group of Nipponese.
II thought I saw one of our Of
ficers," Smith said. when I
yilled at him the answer was a
hell of sbarrage Of mortars."
Luckily Smith wasn't hit but so
much happened after that he's not
too sure of the sequence.
He came face to face with a
Japanese coming out of house
and shot him, He walked into
uachinegun nest and beQt q
hastv retreat before the startled
Japanese could fire. He ran past
another Nipponese, this one an Of
ficer, and killed him.
He climbed to the top of a knoll
and walked right into cluster of
eight more japanese. Smith fired
full clip of ammunition, then
hit for the bushes and lay there I'M
til the situation clarified itself"
Three other Yanks were having
their troubles. Lieutenant John
w. Cowee, Sheboygen, Wis, and
Privates First Class Robert M.
Schlemmeer, 1927 Lemon Grove
avenue, Hollywood, Calf, and
David M. Farrell, Pittsboro, N. c.,
stayed with critically wounded
man when the rest of the trapped
Americans tried to, dispense in the
face of heavy enemy fire.
But within a half hour, the
wounded man died and the three
others moved out to try to find
their buddies. They found a trail
and so many Japanese they
couldn't risk fighting it out with
them. So they lay in the bushes
all day with japanese almost with
4 in arms reach. That evening
American artillery got the range
"The screaming was terrible, .
Schlemmer said. "Then the bar
rage lifted and we heard lot o.
pistol shots. There wasn't any
screaming after that. We think the
Nips were shooting their wound
ed"
Sergeant Gene Carey, 134(
Plumas street, Reno, New, anc
staff Sgt. Cashier Synowiec, New
Buffalo, Mich, had no food, two
rifles, As rounds of ammunition
and one canteen of water wher
they tried to get out.
Escaping from a heavy mortar
barrage, they ran right into two
machinegun nests. Five Japanese
were killed and two Yanks headed
the other direction. No luck. After
two more tries, they took cover ir
the bushes and waited for develop
ments.
Sgt. Abraham Looney, Ocear
Park, Calf, Pfc. Norman Koch
lLeman, Mo-, and Private GARNER
P. Durante, 1926 North Austin ave
nue., Chicago, ILL.,, tried three times
to break out of the japanese
pocket. Each time they were driv'
en- back by concentrated mortar
fire. Then Looney took out his
Bible and read from the 9th chap.
ter of the psalms.
"Bow down thine ear, o Lord,
hear me; for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul; for I am holy;
o Thou my God, save Thy servant
that trusteth in Thee"
Eventually they found a trail but
had moved just a few yards when
they. met four Japanese. All four
were promptly killed. Then they
tried another direction and spent
1IlOSI VI Tile Ody AuSSluS LQe
ground almost under the feet OF
the restless Japanese.
Succor came from the Japanese
themselves. Suddenly, the Nippon
csc began to evacuate the area.
Hiding behind logs, in the grass,
in defiles, the little, separated
groups of Yanks watched as sew
eral hundred of the enemy packed
their belongings and moved out.
Some Of the departing Japanese
walked so near the hiding Yanks
that a Doughboy could reach out
and touch them as they trudged
by. But no twig snapped, no one
coughed, and the last Japanese
disappeared.
The Americans good auckland
good training pulled them
through another incredible situa-
ton.
Hn++ou E:ho, Racor