Tahitian Valour In North Africa

20 Maimed Men Return

From Our Own Correspondent

Papeete, June 10.

OUR men—members of the Pacific Bat talion of Fighting France—covered themselves with glory in the battles in North Africa. General de Gaulle has conferred high awards for valour upon many of them. General Montgomery, commander of the British Eighth Army, is reported to have honoured the Tahitian unit with special distinction.

Here are details of some of their awards.

Sergeant Robert Asmus, awarded the Military Medal for valour. During the siege of Bir Hakkeim, on May 27 and June 10, 1942, during night raids, he went out as a volunteer, and penetrated enemy lines, and he particularly distinguished himself in hand-to-hand combat. He was injured in the head during an air bom bardment.

Corporal Faupau, awarded the Military Medal for distinguished courage during the Bir Hakkeim battle, on June 10, 1942, when he was seriously wounded.

Second-Class Soldier Tu Tetuaui, awarded the Military Medal for bravery shown in raids at Bir Hakkeim, on the nights of June 10 and 11, 1942, when he was badly wounded.

Tainui-Kararo, in the early days of the Lybian campaign, was in charge of a heavy machine gun at an advanced posi tion, when a squadron of German planes came over at low level. Tainui’s cool, accurate shooting brought down one Ger man plane during the first attack. This revealed his position to other planes of the attacking squadron. Again and again they returned to spray Tainui’s position with machine gun bullets. Calm and unruffled, Tainui, declining to seek shel ter, continued firing—probably damag ing another plane. Eventually he was struck by three bullets, one entering his mouth and emerging back of his jaw.

His comrades, who were witnesses, de clare that these wounds lashed Tainui to a state of fury. He met his attackers with a veritable deluge of lead. The end came when a German diving plane placed a bomb accurately beside Tainui’s machine gun. The French commander decorated the hero’s shattered body with the high

est award for valour.

Napuka, the birthplace of Tainui- Kararo, is a little atoll of the Northern Tuamotu—heretofore, seldom visited and little known to the outside world. Napuka, to-day, has become illustrious, because Tainui-Kararo was born there.

From a Special Correspondent THE grimmer side of this global war has reached Tahiti. Aboard a ship that steamed quietly through an opening in Tahiti’s coral reef, as the late winter sun cast long shadows over the crest of Moorea, were twenty sons of this island, returning armless and legless and limping, after their heroic, bitter battle with a distant foe. They were Tahiti’s first casualties in World War 11.

Lined along Papeete’s peaceful quay, in the dull glistening of the sun as it slanted against the galvanised roofs of the copra warehouse, stood friends and relatives and a guard of honour, their eyes eager but dimmed with tears. Also present were the Governor, and local commanders.

As the returned men hobbled or were carried down the gang-plank, marking the end of their long journey from the battlefields of Africa, observers prayed the war would come no nearer Tahiti than this.

Here is the official list of the men who have returned:

Name Rank

Gibert

Lieutenant

Solari, Rene

Adjudant

Poisbeau, Paul .. ..

Sergent-Chef

Sanford, Paul . . . .

DOUCET, Andre . . . .

Caporal-Chef LANTEIRES, Etienne .

Caporal TEIHO, Raphael .. .. ft FAUFAU, Tetaua . . .. 1»

Tetuanui, Tu .. ..

lere classe TUAIVA, Fortune .. 2eme classe

Hareuta, Pane .. ..

TEFANAU, Maurice .. f

Nehemia, Tau . .

MAIRIRO, Heheau SAMUELA, Taihia . .. 9f TAUTU, Tautu . . »»

Temahane

»» MAT AIT AI, Titauhia ..

BARFF, Moehene ..

Caporal ASMIUS, Robert .. ..

Sergent