Evening star., 1947-02-03

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battle of the Marianas in July,
"T can state definitely that we
Americans have the best Army,
Navy and Marine Corps In the
world today, and I have served with
each branch in the Pacific from
Guadalcanal on up" he said.
When the japanese in mid-1944
made an air attack on Task Force
58's ships off Guam, Admiral
Mitscher's flyers scored the Pacific
wars greatest air victory up to
that time-402 enemy planes de-
stroyed to 27 American planes lost.
That was a ratio of American su-
periority of almost Is to /.
While opening and supporting the
Okinawa operation, the pilots of
Task Force So shot down another
$40 Japanese planes between March
IA and May %, 1945. The Navy De-
partment said in a roundup of that
operation that an additional 619
planes were destroyed on the ground
and another 900 were listed as prob
ably destroyed or damaged. During
the same period, the airmen sank
220 vessels, probably sank $50 and
damaged 759 more.
During his task force strikes, Ad-
miral Mitscher was accustomed to
sit calmly and comfortably in an
easy chair rigged on the bridge Of
his flagship. Officers and messen-
gers brought reports and dispatches
to him there. When an order was
required, he gave it in few, easy
words.
Once, during operations off Sal
pan Island, he was sitting on the
bridge watching the fireworks when
low-fying Japanese plane streaked
past so close it seemed one could
almost touch it. The admiral ducked,
then quietly remarked, That was
close"
Voicing his utter contempt for
the japanese as a race" Admiral
Mitscher said in speech at San
Diego late ins 1914 that they are
the poorest specimen of man on
this earth today. and I have had
an opportunity to compare them
with the so-called head-huntexs of
the Solomons."
He declared in Seattle on July
4, 1945, that the military men of
Japan should ali be killed"
Awarded Three DSM's.
For his services in the Solomons,
Admiral Mitscher received the Dis
tinguished Service Medal The cita-
ton said ''he inflicted tremendous
losses upon the enemy, destroying
more than 500 japanese aircraft
and sinking more than 20 vessels" !"
In lieu of a second DSM, he
was awarded the Gold Star for his
carrier forces operations against
the Marshall Islands, the first OBJ
jective of his task forces cam
paign, Tux and the Marianas.
Another Gold Star, equivalent to
third DSM, went to Admiral
Mitscher for his leadership of car
rier task forces against Japanese
held islands in the Central and
Western Pacific between March 10
and August 27, 1914. The citation
praised him as "a valiant and in
spring leader, bold and decisive
in carrying the fight to the enemy" +"
Secretary of the Navy Forrestal
today paid high tribute to Admiral
Mitscher, saying:
Admiral Mitscher gave an ex-
ample of selfless devotion to duty,
of resolute courage and of high pa
triotism which exemplified the best
of what is meant by the tradition
of the naval service.
THE record of Task Force So, the
place he occupies in the hearts of
those who served under him, Off
GERS and men, are firmer bases of
tribute than any that words could
frame.
The United States Navy, with
sorrow and pride, sends its deep
sympathy to Mrs. Marc A. Mitscher" J"
Born January 26, 1887, at Hills
boro, Wis, Admiral Mitscher at
tended school in Washington and
was appointed to the Naval Acad-
emy from Oklahoma in 1906. After
tours of duty on various warships,
he went to the Naval Air Station
at Pensacola, Fla, in 1915 for flight
training, became the 32d pilot to
receive his wings there and made
naval aviation his career.
Piloted NC-I in 1919.
In May, 1919, he served as pilot
of the NC-1 on the first Navy trans
Atlantic flight from Newfoundland
to the vicinity of the Azores. The
seaplane was headed for Lisbon, but
was forced down in heavy fog off
the Azores and sank while being
towed to port. For distinguished
service in the line of his profession
as a member of the crew." he was
awarded the Navy Cross.
Personally acquainted with the
hazards of over-water flying, Ad-
miral Mitscher planned and en-
ployed all possible rescue meth
ods. That was one reason his flyers
were willing to risk falling into
the sea and would fly the range
limit of their planes in pressing
home attacks.
Intimates knew Admiral Nit
scher by the nickname Pete"
He was warmly sentimental and
highly loyal to his friends and to
men under his command. One
close associate once said of him:
You always know this about
Pete. He'll back you up to the