Japanese Tank
On Lellu island, just across the harbor from main dock area of Kusaie.

In 1972, I sailed deck passage on the old M/V (Merchant Vessel) Kaselehlia and lived in Kusaie for a year or so. There I learned some of the language and once again heard war stories.

US Submarine Raiding Party
I had seen a b&w war movie about a submarine that sent ashore a group of men to blow up an ammo dump on a Japanese-held island in the Pacific. When they arrived at nightfall and the rafts of men landed, the Japanese were holding a baseball game. A weather station figured in the story, too-they had to disable the transmitter. Those buildings are still there-concrete ones with one of them tipped up on its side at a 45-degree angle. Everyone at the ball game allowed the wx station and dump to be destroyed.

Well, image my surprise to go visit Malem Village in Kusaie. While looking around and talking with the local folks, all the trees in a certain area had trunks the same height with obviously more recent new growth. There was also a huge depression in the area. Would you believe it-the movie was true. Yes, the Japanese were at a baseball (yakyu) game, yes the dump was blown up, and that's why the trees were all looking like that-the blasts had leveled all the vegetation to the same height at once. The teller of this event was Lindbergh Talley, who lived close by that dump.

Coversation with Freddie Edwin
Ngatikese who was conscripted to serve with the Japanese He surrived a close call when American planes attacked a nearby ship, and his lucky fate in regard to the Saipan Maru.

Tank Race & Target Practice
In the water, yes in the water, about 100 feet offshore, visible and hi and low tides are 3-4 tanks as I recall.. How did they get there I asked? Well, I was told, after the war, American GI's ran them there. They had a race from the shore, a flying start to see whose tank would go farthest in the water. And there they are! As a display of American firepower and accuracy, several tanks and cars were positioned up in the hills, whereupon a destroyer or two opened up on them and hit them all! The people were impressed.