ON OKINAWA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 204, 11 June 1945, Page 3

ON OKINAWA.

ENEMY POCKET COMPRESSED. AMERICANS BEAT OFF ATTACKS. NEW YORK, June 10. “American troops are compressing the surviving Japanese on Okinawa .so tightly into the south-west tip of the island that they may explode in a banzai charge,” said Major-General J. R. Hodge, according to the Okinawa correspondent of the “New York HeraldTribune.” He added: “We have them pressed back so far that they have no room to manoeuvre. My impression is they will explode. If they do that it will wind it up.” In confident mood after flying over the remaining enemy territory, MajorGeneral Hodge said: “There is a 100foot sheer cliff at the ocean edge. If the Japanese want to end it all by committing suicide that is a good jumping-off place.” The United Press correspondent says American infantrymen; driving into a hail of machine-gun fire and routing the enemy with hand grenades and bayonets, have cracked the outer defence ring of the cliff-studded Jaejudake plateau where the last big pocket of Japanese on Okinawa is fighting to the death. “The enemy made numerous air attacks on our forces afloat and ashore

in the Okinawa area as the weather cleared over the Riukius on Wednes- • day and Thursday,” says Admiral Nimitz’s communique. “On Wednesday afternoon and evening a number of small groups of enemy aeroplanes made raids, damaging two small ships. Forty-seven enemy aircraft were def stroyed, including 25 shot down by aeroplanes. The following day enemy aircraft resumed the attacks, and 20 more were shot down. Fighters shot down eight enemy fighters over Kyushu on Thursday. ' “The enemy continued his air attacks on shipping in the Okinawa area on Friday night, causing damage. Twelve enemy aircraft were destroyed. The same day United States carrier aeroplanes attacked the Saki Shimas.”