World: Dagger Thrust at Marcus

A U.S. carrier task force steamed west. In the grey dawn, some 1,200 miles from Tokyo and well inside the perimeter of Japan’s outer defenses, the big flattops turned their noses into the wind. From their flight-decks planes rose and headed for Marcus Island, a little apple tart lying on the blue spread of the Pacific.

Americans had called on Marcus before. In 1902 an expedition from Honolulu put in to the island with the hope of finding guano deposits. A Japanese marine force barred them. The Japs finally allowed the party to land under heavy guard, let a scientist pick up some wildlife specimens; then gave them some water and coconuts and sent the whole outfit packing. Forty years later a U.S. task force attacked Marcus and smashed Jap hangars, runways, ammunition dumps (TIME, April 6, 1942). But last week’s raid was bigger.

The Tokyo radio crackled out: “Many enemy planes raided Minami Tori shima† at dawn today.” With amazing promptness the U.S. Navy verified Tokyo’s announcement, but added: “No report has been received from the raiding force and it is presumed that there will be none until need for radio silence ceases to exist.” Except for a second broadcast from Tokyo that 90 “Grumman fighters” and “about 60 carrier bombers” and two carriers had taken part in the assault, the silence was still unbroken at week’s end. The attack could have had one or a number of objectives:

> To give Tokyo a fright. Tokyo did indeed broadcast to its people a warning that “the enemy could have raided the mainland if he had wanted to.”

> To cover other operations: for example, a U.S. landing on Wake.

> To carry out the Pacific Fleet’s strategy of stabbing around the perimeter to draw out the Jap fleet.

> To destroy installations. Marcus, only five miles around, nevertheless supports three airplane runways, can be used as a base of operations against U.S. submarines, is useful as a link in the air routes to the Marshalls, Gilberts and Wake.

The first strong carrier operation since the sinking of the Hornet in the Battle of Santa Cruz, October 1942, the raid was proof of new U.S. strength in the Pacific.

†Japan’s name for the island speck, meaning “South Bird Island.”