MINDORO ISLAND INVASION

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24445, 20 December 1944, Page 5

MINDORO ISLAND INVASION

“No Enemy Ground Opposition” HEAVY JAPANESE Am LOSSES (N.2. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Dec. 18. “The enemy is offering no ground opposition on Mindoro Island (Philip* pines), and our occupation has apparently caught him completely off his balance,” says a communique from General Mac Arthur's headquarters. “Twenty-three enemy aeroplanes, attempting attacks on our beachhead and shipping, were destroyed by fighters and flak. We lost one aeroplane. Our naval units report the destruction, on and since the landing day, of 25 more aeroplanes. Eleven others were probably destroyed. In the last seven days 742 enemy aeroplanes have been destroyed, or seriously damaged, m the air neutralisation of the Philippines by our air forces and fast earners of the 3rd Pleet. .. A 1 . .. “The 77th Division, continuing its envelopment of Valencia, on Leyte Island, has reached an aerodrome west of the town and is pushing north along the main road. Further south the 7th 'Division has completed the annihilation of the remnants of the trapped Japanese 26th Division. During the j day we picked up 905 abandoned dead. ! Fighter-bombers, supporting our j ground forces, bombed and. strafed 1 enemy positions in the Valencia area. “The greatest possible care is being 1 taken to minimise our losses, the j frontal assault method being avoided !as far as possible. Every artifice Of manoeuvre and superior fire-power are „ being exerted to prevent battle casu- • alties. As a result they continue to oe light.” ■ , An official announcement says Ahat 740 Japanese aeroplanes were destroyed or damaged in the Philippines operations last week, Forty-eight, aeroplanes were destroyed in the Mindoro, aC It is announced in Washington that nearly 1,000,000 tona of Japanese ship- ' ping has been sunk In the Pacific by the United States air forces MOfir Mtween January 1 and October 30, 1944. This does not include sinkings preceding the Mindoro landing. ' . TWENTY-EIGHT SHIPS_SIJNK ENEMY LOSSES OFF LUZON OPERATIONS OF U.S. FLEET (Rec. 12.5 a.m.) WASHINGTON. Dec. U. “Carrier' aircraft have continued at- , tacks on enemy shipping, insufflations, and rolling stock in afld round Luzon • (Philippines),” says a - United Stotts - Pacific Fleet communique. .reports for December 13 jmd , 14-anu a , preliminary report v fpr Debember •15 . reveal* Ahe following damage. inflicted • i in the three days’ operations:—- • “A large transport, three taeshianbU -; tankers, 10 cargo shies, two lending • ■ ; * vessels, and 12 small vessels sunk;. four destroyers, two;‘desttoj^etoorts, 10 cargo snips, 25 small cargo--shipß. . and- 25 landing barges damaged: , also 1 • eight railway trains .and locomotives strafed and burned. v" “At least 25 military vehicles were destroyed and an .’undetermined .num-. , ber of dottier vehicles damaged In a' . severe attack on a 200rtruck.troop con- ' voy near San l - Jose, northT’east.'Of; • Manila, and numerous military;puM?,/* togs, -bridges, piers, warehouses.' bar-j, racks, gas and oil <vtorage .insttulauons. and anti-aircraft and aviation .facilities were ,damaged, ~ • ' : “Sixty-one - enemy aeroplanes were shot down over Luzon, 208 destroyed • on the ground, and Undamaged, Fires,, v were started , in aress," 1 JAPAN RAIDED AGAIN SECOND ATTACK IN : TWO DAYS SUPERFORTRESSES FROM CHINA (Rec. 11.15 p.m-.) .. . ' LONDON,,Otti 19., The Japanese'-mamiand - bas ,'beeiat raided'by United Superiqrr tresses bn two consecutive* , < A medium force of, bombers, , time from China; to-day attacked wto production factories; on- Kiushiu, the - most southerly Island in Japan proper. One of the mam targets Is reported to have been a large aircraft toetpry at Omura. ’ -Dealing withMonday’smldday raid; against Nagoyai , the. .third'; city of Japan, a 20th Air Force communique says: “After: bombing visually,;,, ind also fey instrument* ‘the .‘SufeOTOt? ~ tress crews observed, heavy explosions r and large fires in the targetiarea, r the ~ Mitsubishi aircraft - plant.. Fighter opposition was slight and- flak moderate, No aeroplanes of the . sizeable Superfortress force were lost to enemy action.” A United States War Department communique says: “Preliminary reports of the 20th , Bomber Command describe as good the Superfortresses 1 noonday visual attacks on the docks and storage facilities at Hankow on Monday. All'..the aeroplanes iretuntedto base. Enemy fighter opposition was weak and flak was moderate. Our crews probably destroyed five enemy ~ fighters and damaged seven others. The Tokyo radio says that Monday s Superfortress raids, extended Over J8 hours. The bombers which attacked Nagoya damaged an aircraft manufacturing centre and caused fires, which required resolute fighting before they were extinguished. . “Brigadier-General H.- S. Hansell has announced that additional photographs of the Mitsubishi- aircraft works Jtt Nagoya showed that the raid on December 13 damaged tb- Hatsudoki factory more than was previously supposed,” says the Saipan correspondent of the Associated Press. “The two main assembly buildings were 48 and 13.5 per cent, burned out, and two smaller assembly buildings were 70 and 60 per cent, gutted Twenty-two small buildings within the plant area were destroyed or badly damaged. “Brigadier-General Hansell, decrying over-ootimism, pointed out that the Hatsudoki plants were by no means destroyed.” DRIVE TOWARDS MANDALAY SWIFT ADVANCE IN NORTH BURMA LONDON, Dec. 18. South-east Asia Command Headquarters announces that British forces round Indaw have joined with those advancing from Kalewa. As a result of the linking of British 14th Army troops from the Chindwin with men of the 36th Division on the Myitkyina-Mandalay railway. - the major part of north Burma is now sealed off to the Japanese. Behmd the link-up is a story of a remarkable march by British and Indian troops from the Chindwin river, which they crossed secretly in the middle of November. They marched over wild, jungle-clad hills, and more than 800 vehicles were ferried across the Chindwin and moved along a road hewn out of a sheer cliff face. “The swift advance by the 14th Army took the Japanese by surprise,” writes a correspondent in New Delhi. “Our troops advanced against serious material superiority—through dangerous foothills and dense jungle where darkness prevails in the daytime and the sun cap never be seen through the trees. This remarkable advance marks the beginning of the end for Mandalay. and Japanese rule in north • Burma."