Page 24 - Mastheads July-Dec 1945
P. 24

PAGES             THE MASTHEAD,  SATURDAY,  JULY  21,  1945
      Navy  Film  Depicting        PICTIJRE STORY: A IJ~/191,t/ul Evening ot tl,e  T.  I.  IJonce                            Survivors  of  USS  Bates

     Kamikazes  at  Okinawa                                                                                                  And  LSM-13 5 Arrive
     To  Be  Released  July  26                                                                                              At  Treasure  Island
                                                                                                                              Continued  from  Page  1-
       "The  Fleet That Came  to  Stay,"
     a  vivid official  two-reel  motion pic-                                                                                 tle more  than an hour before land-
     ture depicting the U .  S.  Navy slug-                                                                                   ing  of  troops  on  the  Continent
     ging  it  out  with  Jap  land-based                                                                                     began.
     suicide  planes  in  the  air-sea  battle
                                                                                                                               A  veteran  of  the  pre-invasion
     for Okinawa, will be released to· the
                                                                                                                              bombardments  of  both  Iwo  Jima
     nation's theatres 1  July 26. It will  be
                                                                                                                             and  Okinawa,  the  Bates  had  on
     shown  in ,Treasure  Island  theatres
                                                                                                                             numerous  occasions  evaded  Jap
     in the near future.
                                                                                                                             suicide planes and torpedo bombers.
       Produced  by  Navy  Photographic                                                                                      However,  while  on  picket  duty  off
     Services  under  Captain Gene  Mar-                                                                                     Ie Shima,  she was attacked by two
     key, the picture is based on 200,000,                                                                                   suicide  planes,  both  crashing  into
     feet of film  taken under fire  by 100                                                                                  her.
     Navy  combat  photographers  for                                                                                          A  desperate  attempt to save  the
     tactical  study  and  training  pur-                                                                                    ship  was  under  way  when  a  third
     poses.  It is  the  first  official  two-                                                                               plane swept in and dropped a  bomb
     reel  picture  to  be  shown the pu'blic                                                                                squarely  through  the  starboard
     of  the  vicious  fight  against  Jap                                                                                   mess  hall,  then  wheeled about  and
     Kamikazes.                                                                                                              made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to
       The  picture  reveals  for  the  first                                                                                crash  on  the  deck  of  the  stricken
     time  the  new  pattern  of  Pacific                                                                                    vessel~ an  attempt  which  was
     warfare  that will  becqme  more  in-                                                                                   foiled  by  a  Navy  fighter  plane.
     tense  as we strike  closer  to Japan.                                                                                  ".\7'ith  her  power  gone,  it  was  im-
       The  footage  was  taken  by  fleet                                                                                   possible  to save  her and  the  Bates
     photographers under the most haz-                                                                                       went down with a  total of 23  killed
     ardous  conditions.  Most  of  the                                                                                      or  missing  and  62  wounded.
     scenes lvere filmed  under direct fire                                                                                    The  LSM-135,  medium  landing
     of the Kamikazes as they blazed in                                                                                      ship;  veteran  of  the  Leyte,  Luzon,
     for  the  kill.  Navy officers  have  de-                                                                               Oki~awa  and  Ie  Shima  invasions,
     clared  it  of  inestimable  value,  en-                                                                                m et  her  doom  between  the  latter
     abling tacticians and strategists to                                                                                    two  islands  in  May.  Her  troubles
     study  the  habits,  tactics  and  tech-                                                                                began  with  a  desperate  dive  by  a
     niques  of  Kamikazes  at  extremely                                                                                    suicide  plane  that  missed.  Shortly
     close  range.  As  a  result,  the  most                                                                                afterward,  while  the  "135"  was
     dramatic  naval  scenes  of  the  war                                                                                   picking up survivors from a  blazing
     were filmed.                                                                                                            auxiliary minesweeper-also victim
                                                                                                                             of  a  suicide  attack-a  Nip  pilot
     !-and  Against  Sea
                                                                                                                             came  through  withering  fire  and
       For the  first time,  the  Navy will
                                                                                                                             crashed  his  plane  into  the  bridge.
     bring  to  the  screen  a  motion  pic-
                                                                                                                             Glancing  off  the  bridge,  it  plowed
     ture of a  complete air-sea battle of
                                                                                                                             into  the  survivors  of  the  mine-
     sea  forces  against  land  planes.  It
                                                                                                                             sweeper   who   had   clambered
     depicts  how·  for  three  fabulous
                                                                                                                             through the ship's open bow doors.
     months  .thousands  of  Jap  aircraft
                                                                                                                             The  landing  ship  went  down  soon
     were hurled against our ships,  and
                                   CANADIAN  DELIGHT-Miss Elsie T,oreson was one   before a  dance with Jack Sanders, S1c, of Gym  No. 2.  afterward with 11 of its crew dead
     how  only  ten  per  cent  slipped
                                   of the  popular young  hostesses fr.om  the  bay  area  at   A  f.ew  rounds  on  the  fl.oor  with  music  by  our  new  or  missing  and  nine  wounded.
     through  our  air patrol.     the  Treasure  Island  dance  in  Gym  N•o.  1  last  Satur-  dance  band  calls  for food  and  there  was  plenty  of  it
       It w~s the greatest concentration   day ,night.  Miss  T,oreson,  a  native  of  Edmonton,  Al-  awaiting  Elsie and Jack in the refreshment area.  The
                                   berta,  Canada,  is  now  a  resident  of  San  Francisco   evening  slips  away  and  it is  time  for  goodbyes.  Un-
     of seapower in history. Task Force                                                                                      their rates changed to MoMM when
                                   where  she  is  empl,oyed  as  an  office  clerk  fo·r  Mar-  doubtedly  Jack  secur,ed  Elsie's  teleph,one  number  as
     58  of  Admiral  Marc  Mitscher,  and   wood  Limited.  The  ever  necessary  lip  stick  is  being   she  departs  on  ,one  of  the  many  Navy  buses  which  qualified.  Only those  who desire  to
     the  British  task  force  of  hard-hit- applied  in  the  powder  r,oom  by  the  vivacious  h,oste£s   bring  bay  area  dancing  partners to-T.  I.  dances.   have the change made should apply.
     ting battleships and carriers joined
                                                                                                                               In  addition,  all  men  qualified  in
     the American fleet for the first time  island  was  secured  -  the  longest  in,  their  destination  the  hull  or
     in the Pacific. It was a  fleet of 1,400  any  major  fleet  has  ever  been  in  deck of any American ship. Combat  Enlisted  Men  Invited   submarines  who  have  had  actual
     ships.                        continuous  action.  Love  day  was  photographers stood at their battle                  "war  patrol"  experience  ( except
             1                     relatively  quiet,  but  then  all  fury  stations  days,  and sleepless nights,  To  Apply  For  Sub  Duty   CGM,  CQM,  CSM,  CFC',  ORT,  and
     L,ong,est Continuous  Action
      The  fleet  struck  many  days  be- broke  loose.          filming  this  historic  struggle  be-  The  Navy has a  continuing need   OCS)  and  who  indicate  in  writing
     fore  D-Day  (Love  day  it  was   Five  thousand  miles  from  San   tween  "men  who  want  to  die   for  enlisted men  in certain  ratings   their desire to  return to submarine
     called), on Easter Sunday, and sup- Francisco,  the  most  savage,  long-  and men  who fight to live."                 duty  will  be  transferred  to  the
                                                                                               to  voluntee·r  for  submarine  duty,  nearest submarine base without ref-
     ported  the  Okinawa  tandings  be- est-sustained  sea battle took place.  Pyle's  Last  l·nvasion
                                                                                               and those  who meet the  particular  erence  to  BuPers,  for  further  as-
     yond the week of June 25, when the  Thousands  of  suicide  pilots  roared   A  stirring  scene  of  the  beloved
                                                                                               mental,  psychological  and physical  signment to submarine duty.
                                                                 Ernie Pyle on his last invasion was
     Nlrol,lto's Norse to Join  His Ancestors                    taken by Yorke Markham, PhoM3c,   requirements  may  submit  requests   Volunteers  acce:e_ted  for  initial
                                                                 aboard  ship  as  Pyle  prepared  to   to BuPers via commanding officers.  training will  be  transferred  to  the
                                                                                                 Requests  are  desired  from  en- Submarine School and,  after train-
                                                                 board  an  a!=Jsault  craft  to  hit  the
                                                                                               listed men in the following ratings:  ing,  will  be  assigned  to .fleet  sub-
                                                                 Okinawa  beaches.  Shortly  after-
                                                                                                 CM,  TM,  TME,  QM,  SM,  FC,  S,  marines.
                                                                 ward,  on  Ie  Shima,  a  Jap  smper
                                                                 claimed  the  iife  of · America's  best   EM,  RM, RT,  MoMM, Y,  PhM  (ex-  BuPers  does  not  desire  requests
                                                                 known war correspondent.      cept tllird  class),  SC,  Bkr, Ck  (ex-  from  CPOs  for  initial  training  in
                                                                   Markham,  whose  ship was sunk   cept  first  class  and  StM.   submarines  nor  from  recruits  un-
                                                                 off Iwo Jima, had a  close call when   MMs  also  are  desired  and  their  dergoing  training,  pe•rsonnel  in
                                                                 his landing craft passed over a  reef  requests should state whether they  class A.  schoo•ls, ship or station per-
                                                                 at Okinawa!  just as a large  explo- have  had  any  previous  experience  sonnel  who  have  not  co·mple-ted  at
                                                                 sion  was  set  off  nearby,  shooting   with  internal - combustion  engines  least 12 months duty there, or from
                                                                 a  column  of water 2,000  feet  high.  and  whether  they  desire  to  have  Seabee  personnel.   •
                                                                 On  the  way,  back;  Markham  used
                                                                 the Commodor~•s suite  on  a  trans-  The Wolf                          by Sansone
                                                                 port  to  do his  developing.
                                                                  . "They had  an. e,lectric  stove  and   Copyright  1945 by  Leon,rd  Sainone, distributed  by  amp   ewseaper   n"1ce
                                                                 all  the  trimmings·,"  Markham  re-
                                                                 counts.  "Pots  :µid  pans  came  in
                                                                 handy and all other kitchen gadgets
                                                                 were used to bes:t ii.dvantage. F-or a
                                                                 dark-room, give m~ a  Commodore's
                                                                 pantry every time."
                                                                   "The  Fleet That Came  to  Stay"
                                                                 will be  released by. the War Activi-
                                                                 ties  Committee  of  the  Motion  Pic-
                                                                 ture  Industry  through  Paramount
                                                                Pictures.









     LEADING  HIROHITO'S  HORSE  to the  horrible conclusi,on ,of  his  brief
    life ar,e three bond-buyers from OTS.  Leading the apparition, used  in the
    recent  Seyenth War Loan drive at Operational Training  school,  are  D,or-
    othy  Baktts,  Y2c,  and  J.  S.  Kirkland,  SM1c.  Astride  i•s  W.  A.  O'Conn·or,
    QM2c.  Kirkland and  O'Connor are ,of the third divisi,on,  and  Bakits from
    the  w.aves  division.  Both  gr,o~ps  attained  100 per cent  participa,,tion  in
    the  drive.  The  latest communique says  the  horse  is  now aband,oned .a,nd                       "Why, yes!  As a matter of fact  I am  rather  busy!"
    forlorn  in' some  dark  passageway  awaiting  his  trial  by  fire.
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