How Japs Came To Tulagi—And Departed

Fijian Eye-witness's Account of Two Early Solomons Battles

HERE is one of the most remarkable stories of the Pacific War—remark able, because it gives us the first connected account of what happened in the Tulagi area of the Solomons between May 1, 1942, when the Japanese arrived in force, and August 7-10, when they were thrown out by the Americans.

It is doubly remarkable because it is written by a Fijian, Kelimindi Nabuno Suno. He was employed at Vatu koula, Fiji, by the Theodore inter ests, and in 1941 he was sent by those interests to the staff of Solomons Gold Exploration Co.. Ltd., whose headquar ters were on Guadalcanal. When the Japanese arrived on Guadalcanal, the Europeans were withdrawn, but Keli mindi remained, and was an interested observer of all that happened. Keli mindi’s account of what he saw was released for publication by the Govern ment of Fiji, in January, and here is part of it. taken from the “Fiji Times”: — “On Friday, May 1. a Japanese convoy entered the Thousands Ships Bay at the southern end of Ysabel Island (north-west of the Tulagi area). The

Japs made some investigations ashore, but the conditions of the place were un favourable. It was in the early hours of Saturday night, May 2, that we saw tangling beams of searchlights from the Japanese naval escort vessels somewhere in the vicinity of Savo Islands (between Ysabel and Tulagi). They searched the ocean and the skies as if they were expecting attack from the Allies at any moment. Unfortunately, they were not attacked.

“On the same night, the RAAF sta tioned on Gavutu and Tanambogo (near Tulagi) set fire to buildings, stores, fuel dumps and everything that might become useful to the Japanese. It was a pity they had only one plane, and she was out of action from a hit by a Japanese bomb on the previous day. They got on to a couple of boats and went across to Aola and then to Vila, in the New Hebrides.

“Early on Sunday morning. May 3. we saw the Jap ships entering Tulagi har bour. Some anchored and discharged cargoes and men onto Gavutu and Tan ambogo, and others onto Tulagi and Makambo. Some of the ships left the same day, but many of them stayed in the harbour. Escort naval vessels in cluded three heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, three destroyers and one air craft-carrier.

“On Monday. May 4. there came wave after wave of American dive-bombers and Flying Fortresses. They bombed Tulagi. Tanambogo and Gavutu respec tively. There were still some ships there.

They sank three of them within the har bour, including one destroyer. They sank

another one between Tulagi and Savo, and another two off Savo Island. They sank some more somewhere beyond Ysabel, eleven ships altogether being sunk during this battle, which was part of the so-called Battle of the Coral Sea.

Although the Japanese made their land ing they suffered heavy casualties, as well as losses in ships and equipment.” (The Battle of the Coral Sea, a fight between Jap warships and American airmen, lasted from May 4 to May 11, and extended from Tulagi hundreds of miles westward and north-westward. It was the first heavy defeat inflicted upon the Japanese in this war.—Ed. “PIM”.) ‘‘During June, another small Japanese convoy arrived. This lot came and occupied Kukum, Lunqa and Tenaru, on the west coast of Guadalcanal. Allied bombers came and bombed this convoy while it was still unloading in Lunqa Bay. They sank about four or five of the ships. ‘‘After landing and establishing, the Japs began constructing their aerodrome immediately. They forced local natives to work for them without pay. The natives could not refuse, as if they did, the Japs would shoot them on the spot.

In addition, they seized food, pigs, etc., from the natives.”

The Allies Return

THIS is how Kelimindi describes the Allied re-occupation of the Tulagi area: — ‘‘Early on Friday morning. August 7, we heard planes roaring all over the place and from every direction. At 6 a.m. the warships started shelling. That was the first instant of the Allied offensive action in the south-west Pacific. The flash of the big gunfires from the ships was of an exciting nature.

“When the dawn cleared the darkened night from the sky, we then saw that the whole channel was covered with

ships. Some shelled Guadalcanal and others Tulagi, Gavutu, Tanambogo, Bugana and Florida (Gela) islands. It was a great sight. As the ships were shelling, hundreds of planes roared in the skies, machine-gunning the Japan ese personnel who were on their way into the scrub.

“At 8 a.m. planes then began to bomb while the warships still kept up their shelling. Bombs and shells were burst ing from every corner of the battlefields, as well as every inch of the Japanese occupied areas. I think the average of bombs that fell on that day was about three bombs to every second. It was deafening to hear the thundering noise of the bombs and shells and the rattling noise of machine-gun and cannon fire from our planes as they swept over the islands after the running-away Japs.

“The first landing was on Alavo beach on Florida (Gela) Island, by the United States Marines, under cover of a strong force of fighters and dive-bombers. At about 10 a.m. the Marines began landing on Tenaru on this island (Florida) again under cover of a strong force of fighters and dive-bombers. Launches, barges and amphibian tractors were just like white ants on the surface of the water, hun dreds and hundreds of them.

Amphibian Tractors

“mHE work of the amphibian tractors A wa's simply marvellous, as they were lowered down from the ships on to the water, glided along the water into the sandy beach and then into the coco nut plantation.

“You know what the Japs did? They simply ran away for their lives into the jungles. Five of them we caught up here in the scrub and they were taken down to the Yanks as prisoners.

“On Saturday, August 8, the Marines then landed on Tulagi Island under cover of dive-bombers. They did not take much time in landing. At the same time, our bombers were blasting the Japanese underground hideouts, dumps, etc., with their 1,000 lb. bombs. Our bombers destroyed 18 Japanese planes as they were still anchored on their base.

It was a wonderful sight to watch the whole operation.

“It was on Saturday morning (August 8) when 40 Japanese twin-engined bomb ers came and attacked our ships. Our fighters went for them. Some of the bombers came through and dropped then bombs, which fell into the clear tropical waters.

“At night the Japanese Navy tried to engage the US Navy, but they were driven back by the powerful combined Australian and US Navy. It was during this operation that HMAS ‘Canberra’ was sunk. I was up all night that night watching the great show. Our fighters shot down 10 out of the 40 planes that came and raided our ships.

“It was on Sunday, August 9, when our ships went away, to where we did not know. But it was obvious they were lying waiting for the Jap Navy some where around the Solomon waters. Later, we heard from the news that they engaged the Jap Navy after about a couple of days.”

Mr. N. W. McDonald, of Fiji, has been granted an honorary commission as Lieutenant-Commander in the Fiji Naval Volunteer Force.

The following have been appointed to the Fiji War Fund Executive Commit tee by the Governor (Sir Philip Mit chell) ; Sir Henry Scott (chairman), Mr.

T. Bryce, Mrs. R. Crompton, Mr. B. H.

Marks (treasurer), and Mr. H. H. Ragg.