The Wrangell sentinel., 1946-01-18
FAMOUS BATTLE OF
 K0MAND0RSKI ISLANDS IS
 DISCUSSED BY EX-FOEs
(By Russell Brines)

Ao9 AbuoaE44 oA AlE9
 TOKYO - An American Navy captain and a Japanese Admiral pushed matchsticks to and fro on their table today-fighting again the famous battle of Komandorski Island in which both had partici- pated on March 26, 1943. And both were learning for the first dime, some of the answers to sey- eral puzzles that had baffled them from that day to this
 We were here,' said Capt. Pey- ton Harrison, arranging his battle line of matehsticks, when you opened fire. Did you know how close you came?9
 No" replied Rear Adm. Akira Soii, but you hit Us with your first salyo."
 They met in purely social fash ion today, but in the icy Aleutians in '43, Harrison had been opera tions officer for Rear Adm. Chas. II. McMorris, then Commander of the U. S. Naval Task Force in the Aleutians Soji, then captain, commanded the enemy heavy eruis- CT Nachi, flagship of a Japanese task force attempting to convoy three transports of reinforcements to Attu Island.
 First Shell ands i "One shell landed in our chart house." said Soji. I was on the bridge about 15 feet away.'
 Well, your first two rounds came close" Harrison told him. We turned, and the third round landed exactly where we would have been, but the Qight cruiser Richmond wasn't hit throughout te engagement"
 Soji then clarified one phase of the battle which long had mysti- fled the Americans why the Nachi, with guns pointing sky ward suddenly stopped firing for several minutes.
 Another Knockout 1 Our fire control system was knocked out by your first hit" he said, "and our orders weren't transmitted to our gunners. At a. bout the same time, someone closed a power valve so We had no power and couldn't get the guns to pro per level.'
 Another thing that always puzzled us was why the Japanese broke off the engagement when they did," Harrison remarked.
 'We were running short on fuel and ammunition" Soji replied. And we thought your planes from Adak might attack us soon, and maybe we would have to fight an- other engagement.
 Besides the light cruised Rich mond, the Americans had the heavy cruiser Salt Lake and four destroyers. Against this slender force. the Japanese had two heavy, two light cruisers and at least four destroyers.
 Kiska Evacuated We hadn't expecter to run mt vou., Soii acknowledged. but the
 results of the battle conyincef
 Tokyo that the Aleutian outpost.
 couldn't be supplied by ordinary
 surface craft. Consequently orde~.
 soon were given for evacuation o : Kiska islands, he said. :, Two. cruisers and seven or eigh Q sastroyers took all the Japanesf : off Kislza in less than two hours n he explained, slipping through th' 7 fog undetected.
 Soii added that the fact th'
 battle of Komandorskie Island kep @ transports from taking reinforce o ments to Attu decreased to som' | extent the subsequent bitter fight s ing when the Americans lande' T there.
 d "They turned away and waite' if around Komandorskie Island for t while. then returned to Parama $ shiro. They were lucky, beeaus n they were unprotected all tha I, time. Soii said.
 II Wed have liked to have kho" IS that!" Harrison exclaimed a The bespectacled, civilian-suite n soii laughed. Maybe it was
 mutually poor battle" he com
 mented