RAID ON MAKIN

Evening Star, Issue 24287, 31 August 1942, Page 3

RAID ON MAKIN

BARING ASSAULT BY U.S. MARINES JAP. GARRISOH WIPED OUT PEARL HARBOUR, August 28. Graphic first-hand accounts of the United States marines’ recent raid on the Japanese seaplane base at Makm Island are given by Lieutenant-colonel Evans Carlson, who led the raiders, and by Major James Roosevelt. The marines wiped out the seaplane base and installations, and destroyed three radio stations, 1,000 barrels of aviation petrol, and bombed the foodstutts, said Major Roosevelt. Only two Japanese out of a force of 300 survived the marines’ sudden attack. The American losses were less than 10 per cent, of the enemy’s Colonel Carlson revealed that the marines were on the island for 20 minutes before they were discovered, although the Japanese maintained a continuous alert with snipers strapped to the tops of 70-foot cocoanut trees for days. “We fought until 11.30 a.m. on the first day when the first Japanese air raiders came over,” ihe said. “ Meanwhile, wo had sunk a 3,500-ton Japanese transport and gunboat. The Japanese planes strafed and bombed in a confused manner, dropping more on their - own troops than on us. The fight ended at 4 p.m. on the second day. There are 1,700 natives on the island, and they have been ill-treated by the Japanese. The natives looked upon the, Americans as deliverers, and served as an auxiliary intelligence corps. One o£ my hardest jobs was to keep my re--serves from entering the firing lines, because they all wanted to shoot. “ By accident an officer and his men in a boat got lost and came up at the rear of the Japanese. They shot eight and knocked out the Japanese radio station. They spent the day cutting enemy communications and killing Japanese messengers and generally raising hell. The battlefield was some, sight when we left — ; dead Japanese were behind almost every cocoanut tree.”

Colonel Carlson -said the Japanese were able to operate against Samoa and the Australian life-line from Malcin. As the marines destroyed everything, the base was not of much use at present. ' Apparently several British subjects had been on the island when the Japanese landed, but the marines found, no indication of their fate. AUSTRALIA EARNED POSSIBILITY DF INVASION MELBOURNE, August 30, “If we are not careful we will probably suffer a baptism of fire on our soil before the best in us is brought to the surface.” This grim warning was given by the Minister for the Army, Mr F. M. Forde, when he hit out strongly against complacency. “We have been getting things itoo easily in Australia, Mr Fordo said. “We are too sanguine of success. No good purpose can be served in talking

glibly in Australia about opening a second front. Our job is to maintain tho front already opened in the north, and it is going to be no easy task.” Japan, Mr Forde added, had resources in man power equal to Germany’s. She also had under her control in conquered territories labour resources greatly exceeding those_ available to Germany. Her material resources were virtually inexhaustible. Japan could throw into action an army as large and almost as well equipped as the German army, provided she could control her lines of communication. The Allied position in the South Pacific, however, had been substantially improved, due to the assistance of the United States and Britain, in-' creased home production, the expansion of the defence forces, and tho return of the A.f.F. THE DIEPPE RAID NAZIS SHOOT ELEVEN CIVILIANS NEW YORK, Aug. 29. Although the Germans _ publicly praised the residents of Dieppe for their attitude during the recent raid, reports from Paris reveal that the Germans actually shot 11 civilians and imprisoned several hundred immediately after tho raid. This is reported by. the Stockholm correspondent of tho ‘ New York Times,’ who adds that tho victims were chosen from previouslyprepared lists of persons likely to sympathise actively with tho enemy. Many belonged to prominent Dieppe families. Tho German casualties in the raid are estimated at 600 killed and missing and 2,000 wounded. It is reported from Berlin that, after tho British raid on Dieppe, the Germans reinforced tho Atlantic Channel coast defences with new motorised artillery batteries. CANADIAN CASUALTIES 856 (Rec. 1 p.m.) OTTAWA, August 30. The Dieppe casualty lists which the Government has been issuing for a weak now toiel 856, including 165 killed, 570 wounded, and 121 missing. Coincidentally, there has been a quick increase in the number of home defence men applying for overseas service. This is said to have shown the value of giving' full publicity to the Dieppe action, even to tho extent of taking newspaper correspondents with nearly every unit. Their accounts of the battle have given reality to the war, especially Canada’s part therein, which previously was lacking.