U.
S. Tank, Disabled On Tarawa, Helps To Knock Out 7 Pillboxes
By WILLIAM HIPPLE (Associated Press Correspondent)
WITH THE MARINES AT TARAWA.
"No," said the sergeant, "My tank didn't do very much. We got knocked out too soon. We
were sitting in a hole the Japs had dug as a tank trap and were passing around a large can of warm grapefruit juice."It took considerable prying to get any information out of Sergeant Robert E. Baker, Memphis, Tenn. He was embarrassed that his tank, Clipper, was put out of commission and neglected to emphasize how she rammed shells and bullets into Jap pillboxes and, with another tank, hung up a total of seven pillboxes destroyed.
Sergeant Baker's tank is believed to be the first hit at Betio the morning of November 20. The tank lighter carrying her was hit as it was coming in but Baker rolled her onto a reef and pushed ashore, headed through dense fire for the airport in the middle of the narrow island. It joined up with another tank, China Gal, commanded by Lt. R. O. Sloat, Tacoma, Wash.
Periscope Hit
Baker said, peering through the sights, at first he saw men ahead and thought they were
Marines because they had green dungarees like ours, then he realized they were Japs so he poured the fire at them.Baker's tank suffered a hit on the turret which broke the periscope. He moved behind a revetment for a moment.
Then word was radioed that a tank commanded by Lt. Edward E. Bale, Dallas, Tex., needed help badly at the eastern end of Betio. "My tank and Sloat's started down to help Bales," said Baker. "Sloat was ahead. Some Japs ran out of pillboxes and tried to put a mine on the side of Sloat's tank. Then they saw us behind and tried to beat it back to the pillbox.
We cut into them with our guns. Then moved up to the openings of the pillboxes and fired into their throats. We knocked out two there.
Tank Back Fired On
Baker's tank Clipper got tangled in some underbrush and he had difficulty with tractors.
"The Japs, sneaked behind us and threw three mines or grenades on the back of our tank. We started back but got another mine on our back."
"One of our men was unconscious. We retired on one engine."
Baker took over the job at the radio as liaison man and other members of his crew took over another tank and returned to action.
This group was headed by Private First Class Donald Pearson. Rochester, N. Y., probably one of the first privates ever to command a tank. Other crew members were Private Charles D. Mason, Harrah, Wash.; Private Clifford G. Quine, Peoria, IL. , and Corporal Antonio Almaraz, Bakersfield, Cal.
These enlisted men knocked out four more pillboxes. Sometimes they would approach from five to 10 feet from the entrance then ram in shells.
Pearson's tank, with others, kept moving ahead of the infantry, clearing the way.
"When the Japs tried to counter attack with bayonets, we would keep as much as we could between our troops and the Japs and mow 'em down."
Baker gave credit to Lt. Sloat as the outstanding tankman of the day.
He said Sloat knocked out at least four or five pillboxes and his tank was like a wild monster breaking through and smashing Jap positions.
Notes
1. 9 December 1943 Honolulu Star-Bulletin, p. 2.
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