Guam (CB 2) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 85 text:

Attack on Japanese Fleet units SAW. of Kyushu. The CL ACANO under torpedo attack by our planes and listing badly. liif l , JC .r-41:31 . af ,gJ,3,:s, . D -t ff ' V41 vm Wh Attack on Japanese Fleet units S.W7. of Kyu- shu. Explosions break out on the CL AGANO. THEY BE 01111 2'

Page 84 text:

OOOlOi On April 6-7, 1945-in the last desperate attempt-the Jap Navy mustered all available Fleet units to attack our Fleet operating off Okinawa. DD I in -. Aflvr Bnllvry on Attacking Planes. llll Slill n Silling Duck

Page 86 text:

L K.. 1 ii sh. 5 'ai 3 his 3 5 is 5 lr - , 5 leg e 4 li E Wifi 1 , , fi , 11' 113 '1 fl ,. Q, 5 w E 6 1 I P E ,, l 2 13 ,e I 1 ! Y 3 ,-. Y BATTLE TUR EDITOR S NOTE The following accoluzt o thc f UAW! Sjirsl night uetzon on Aprtl 12 1945 LS a comlensefl eerumz 0 ll lrst pcrson report wrzttzn by the GUAM S lnltstecl Aaey Corrcsponzlent F IV lullfr Sp X lc' XC I ly hr I rlztors beltef that these words wtll hrmg vteully to muul thc lense hours zu share 11 together on that eecndul a ternoon and eeentng ABOARD THE USS GUAM Aprll 12 1945 'Ks thls story of a date wlth darkness takes form a composltlon reconstructed from the welrd scrawhngs of notes penclled bv gun flash last mght 1 keep remembermg the partmg words of a Navy' Lieutenant a battle veteran, who bnd me smooth saxhng on the eve of my sallmg to wrlte the story of thls shlp and her crew m the Paclhc War Theatre He sald, You re not gomg to flnd thmgs as tougl1 out there as you thmk Sure, you ll be seared, only fools aren t scared, but you ll get so you aeeept hattle aetzon as a matter of routme Then he added There s just one thmg though nlght attack Nobody can glVC you the score on that on how lt wlll effect you It s my guess that If you ever feel hke digging yourself a foxhole m a steel deek, hat s whcn you ll want to ' last night, thls new shlp and her new c-lew, but recently mdoc trmated to battle by day, expcrleneed her hrst night attack The llcutenant knew what he was talkmg about' lhls IS the story of that attack Ac tually, our prcludc to night aetlon, mc asurcd hy whatf vel yard stick 15 employed to dc termmc thc potency ol warfare, w IS 1 lug 'cr show from all standpomts 'Thru is apparent now It didnt sc em that yy ay last Illgllt It bevan late 111 tl1e forenoon and like a doublfi feature, continued on and on The GU XM and tl1e shxp of her task group were llghtmg off VlC'l0llS and sporadic smfrle plane ra1dS '1he efliclcncy of our carrler based llUllU.I protec tlon contmued, as alyyay s, to erect a fence m the sky Nllll ycry feyy crates Twenty .lap planes yyould try to cruk that fcncc maybe one yyould get ough to stukc- Nayy alrmen, noted for Illtll' nonchalance all UCF Of fdC'll1LSS, H11 probably unayy uc of hoyy personally p0pll ey ale Hllll each of the thousands of llltllyllllldl creyy members e shnps that eomprxsc their task ffroup but thc y are and s1I1C9 Maybe tlus eonecntla V speed by to hc ad off a bogc y lulps m some small measure tlon of lcry ent good yylshes eyery ll mtam their ratlo of hyc l lp plants spl as-hcd to one of tlexrs We like to thmk so e most 5lltlllf'llldI' cl lyllffhl llllllll cleyclopcd at 1173 S0 ll holuon 1 cluo ol I lp llc ttys louud a vale Hg lm' OVU thc t lu c c unc Ill lo attack about tcn Ill 'ln HN ISI l lll 1 lll vc Norm hoyy numavccl to sury r cnouffh to fl lSll n SOURI lynn s followcc y cu: 1 cd cn thc deck of the It l XM S cyc yu yy ll looked lcrrlhlc llhc' Cl' l by l I l llmu yyluch nppeancl to envc' flcr SIIIJLISIIIIK ltcl ol cconds, the Hamm IQ 4 Ill Ull lltjugl llll' lllt lllll0Ilf'Q'l'll 0 ant lnl 1 Icyy uunulc lalcr thc :eport came thl'0l r 1 l ' f 1 J f ' ' 1 1 ' t - , 'Y . . . . - ' o -, , ' ' X .f f ' ' ' , - , , A , , . ' - ' 11 ,..1f,.qp,q,l.p.f.-t- 'f f - A ' ' 7 ' ' ' 'y' f ' 1 - yy 1 r ' ' ' . ' ' 1 . I , - t ' 7 ' .x ' V 1 1' f t- - Q -r 7 ' 1 - 1 1 ,' - ' ' f K .1 '. U ' ' If ' - tl 1 , f ' I' fat' , fy, A ' M . . . . i thx. V. f . ' K 4 X 3' 5 d - - 1 ' 5 Ina 1 ll 1 -3 , . , ,Z .5 . 5 ' lar . - ee - ' we , ' ' they-' ' -A V' y 3 1 S ' ' V' . . 1 1 of ' . V . . . . D th I - I .A 2 X. Y D S I V 9 L - rely , A ' 'f f ' ' 1 so. V 'L J, - ' 3 L V ' 'uw g . I Y 9 . , 1 I y n the' L V E ee h '.-. E K - X X x 1 t0 r ' - , l .1 - . ' ' .99 Ina' ' 1' Ci ' ' ,E I E 4 EL, res ig x 'S , I , ,. I 7 ,, , . 1 . - . . 1 I . , j . V A I l ' I l X w 1 K 1 ' , ,, - f - - 1 - y ' where on a distal , Z 'sz t A- ' - U . Skun- Q , an A e , 1 - l ' ' y t , , . 1111 Y 35 5 W1 5. ll, ty .2 5 E ., - llCS N- ' ' ' ' ' ' T I 'A fl . f' allf - H Y fi to come wil 1' '1 Q42 Q X ' ol A 'we V, ' ' ' 1 ' - lfml, 1 E, W .' , mc 'tally' vu 1 l - , y y H U55 V4.3 ' ' x 1 i - rl ll if J' , 4l'q i : ly y'k',.-elf. 1-' . . ' 5' ,.aSh 1 1 - wa. : if a s lee ol rec 1 v ' '- 4 'F ' 'love 3 ' 3 i l T 3' l 5 . ' 3 1' 1 ' - the a 2 S ' 'lure. ln zu mu -' ' s-' S ' 1 d 'ap' I ' ' ' - 1 y I A 1 - ' 1 , ., , , , ' X Q , 1 5 . 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 .. t rg, penned. The lmlll 'sl 5 szulecl S er-S ' in - - , f an y - , 1 f ' . '-'-- 'V - . 1 ' v . , A .. . . , . , . , clcply by H not fx X 7 . KS 5 I 5 M , 5 lgh