_Sgt Carlo A. Micheletto had turned 26 years old less than two months
before Japanese planes strafed Ewa. He was recommended for a letter of
commendation, but was awarded a Bronze Star._]
Although it is unlikely that even one of the Ewa Marines thought so at
the time, even as they serviced the _Enterprise_ SBDs which sat on the
landing mat, the Japanese raid on Oahu was over. Vice Admiral Nagumo,
already feeling that he had pushed his luck far enough, was eager to
get as far away from the waters north of Oahu as soon as possible. At
least for the time being, the Marines at Ewa had nothing to fear.
Not privy to the musings of Nagumo and his staff, however, Lieutenant
Colonel Larkin could only wonder what the Marines would do should
the Japanese return. At 1025, he completed a glum assessment of the
situation and forwarded it to Admiral Kimmel. While casualties among
the Marines had been light--two men had been killed and several
wounded--the Japanese had destroyed “all bombing, fighting, and
transport planes” on the ground. Ewa had no radio communications, no
power, and only one small gas generator in commission. He also informed
the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, that he would retain the four
Enterprise planes at Ewa until further orders. Larkin also notified
Wheeler Field Control of the SBDs being held at his field.
At 1100, Wheeler called and directed all available planes to rendezvous
with a flight of B-17s over Hickam. Lieutenant (jg) Hilton and the two
ensigns from Bombing Squadron 6, Kroeger and Weber, took off at 1115
and the Marines never heard from them again. Finding no Army planes
over Hickam (two flights of B-17s and Douglas A-20s had only just
departed) the three Navy pilots landed at Ford Island. Ensign Fogg’s
SBD represented the sole naval strike capability at Ewa as the day
ended.
“They caught us flat-footed,” Larkin unabashedly wrote Major General
Ross E. Rowell of the events of 7 December. Over the next few months,
Ewa would serve as the focal point for Marine aviation activities on
Oahu as the service acquired replacement aircraft and began rebuilding
to carry out the mission of standing ready to deploy with the fleet
wherever it was required.
_They’re Kicking the Hell Out of Pearl Harbor_
Although the Japanese accorded the battleships and air facilities
priority as targets for destruction on the morning of 7 December 1941,
it was natural that the onslaught touched the Marine Barracks at Pearl
Harbor Navy Yard as well.
Colonel William E. Farthing, Army Air Forces, commanding officer of
Hickam Field, thought that he was witnessing some very realistic
maneuvers shortly before 0800 that morning. From his vantage point,
virtually next door to the Navy Yard, Farthing watched what proved
to be six Japanese dive bombers swooping down toward Ford Island. He
thought that MAG-21’s SB2Us or SBDs were out for an early morning
practice hop. “I wonder what the Marines are doing to the Navy so early
Sunday?”
Over at the Marine Barracks, the officer of the guard, Second
Lieutenant Arnold D. Swartz, after having inspected his sentries,
had retired to the officer-of-the-day’s room to await breakfast.
Stepping out onto the lanai (patio) at about 0755 to talk to the field
music about morning colors, he noticed several planes diving in the
direction of the naval air station. He thought initially that it seemed
a bit early for practice bombing, but then saw a flash and heard the
resulting explosion that immediately dispelled any illusions he might
have held that what he was seeing was merely an exercise. Seeing a
plane with “red balls” on the wings roar by at low level convinced
Swartz that Japanese planes were attacking.
[Illustration: Major Harold C. Roberts had earned a Navy Cross as a
corpsman assigned to Marines during World War I, and a second award in
1928 as a Marine officer in Nicaragua. As acting commanding officer
of the 3d Defense Battalion at Pearl Harbor on 7 December, he was a
veritable dynamo, organizing it to battle the attacking Japanese. He
was killed at Okinawa in June 1945 while commanding the 22d Marines,
but not before his performance of duty had merited him the award of his
third Navy Cross.]
Over in the squadroom of Barracks B, First Lieutenant Harry F.
Noyes, Jr., the range officer for Battery E, 3-inch Antiaircraft
Group, 3d Defense Battalion, heard the sound of a loud explosion
coming from the direction of the harbor at about 0750. First assuming
that blasting crews were busy--there had been a lot of construction
recently--Noyes cocked his ears. The new sounds seemed a bit different,
“more higher-pitched, and louder.” At that, he sprang from his bed,
ran across the room, and peered northward just in time to see a dirty
column of water rising from the harbor from another explosion and
a Japanese plane pulling out of its dive. The plane, bearing red
_hinomaru_ (rising sun insignia) under its wings, left no doubt as to
its identity.
* * * * *
The explosions likewise awakened Lieutenant Colonel William J. Whaling
and Major James “Jerry” Monaghan who, while Colonel Gilder D. Jackson,
commanding officer of the Marine Barracks, was at sea in _Indianapolis_
(CA-35) en route to Johnston Island for tests of Higgins landing boats,
shared his quarters at Pearl Harbor. Shortly before 0800, Whaling
rolled over and asked: “Jerry, don’t you think the Admiral is a little
bit inconsiderate of guests?” Monaghan, then also awake, replied: “I’ll
go down and see about it.” Whaling, meanwhile, lingered in bed until
more blasts rattled the quarters’ windows. Thinking that he had not
seen any 5-inch guns emplaced close to the building, and that something
was wrong, he got up and walked over to the window that faced the
harbor. Looking out, he saw smoke, and, turning, remarked: “This thing
is so real that I believe that’s an oil tank burning right in front
there.” Both men then dressed and hurried across the parade ground,
where they encountered Lieutenant Colonel Elmer E. Hall, commanding
officer of the 2d Engineer Battalion. “Elmer,” Whaling said amiably,
“this is a mighty fine show you are putting on. I have never seen
anything quite like it.”
[Illustration: