AMERICAN DRIVE ON MINDORO

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24446, 21 December 1944, Page 5

AMERICAN DRIVE ON MINDORO

No Sip of Enemy Troops LEYTE BATTLE NEARS END

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec 11 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Dec, I*. There is still no sign of any Japanese attempt to land troops on Mindoro Island, in the Philippines,, and the only opposition the invading American forces are encountering is from the air. The battle for Leyte Island la reported to be in its final stages. The Americans have captured the Japanese headquarters at Valencia, and are already using, the Valencia airfield. ’ General MacArthur’s latest communique says: - “The American forces on Mindoro Island are meeting with no ground opposition. linemy aeroplanes, attacking Mindoro positions, were Intercepted by our fighter patrols, which shot down 13 and probably destroyed one for the loss of one.

“On Leyte Island the American T7th Division has taken Valencia, six miles north of Ormoc, and is pushing north, rolling up the remnants of the Yamashita line. The Valencia airfield was. captured intact and is already in use.. The Ist Cavalry Division has seized Lonoy and is now in the rear pf the; enemy forces pinned down to the northward by the 32nd Division. “Guerrilla patrols have infiltrated to the mountains and are mopping up isolated enemy detachments attempting to escape to the west coast. On Monday the enemy abandoned 14W dead and 22 prisoners were taken. “Fighters sweeping the south coast of Luzon /bombed Calatagan aerodrome, hitting buildings and revet-, ments. Air patrols to the hortb destroyed a small freighter. Heavy and mediupi bombers and fighters attacked enemy air bases on Negros Islahd and Puerto. Frincesa, on Palawan Island. -They dropped 226 tons of bombs, severely cratering runways, setting, on fire supply dumps, and hitting bivouac and dispersal areas. A low-level strafing attack destroyed 12 parked aeroplanes. Medium units bombed Lipanan and Davao (Mindanao), demolishing warehouses. Heavy bombers struck at Jolo, in the Sulu Archipelago, when fighters destroyed four enemy aero- . planes and probably destroyed another. ' ; ■

Borneo Target* Balded “Other heavy units bombed: Jesselton and Tarakan aerodromes 1 in Borneo. Fifteen aircraft bombed Lutong and Sangga Sangga refineries, and harassed enemy shipping, hitting a- ' freighter-transport in Brunei Bay. Patrol aeroplanes, in shipping sweeps, destroyed or heavily damaged three small freighters in the Timor area. Otner aircraft attacked aerodromes, in-, stallations, fuel dumps, and bivouac areas in New ? Guinea, New Ireland, and Bougainville.” * Brigadier-General Eunckel, conv* mander of the Mindoro ,Island force, says the San Jose airfield will . soon be ready for use. bringing Manila.. within half an hour’s flying time. Bulldozers began work on the airfield. on. the night of the invasion day,. The , construction unit, which was especi-’ . ally chosen for the job, has already- - proved its ability at Darwin. Aitape,, and Morota. The unit includes a start-. v ling variety of specialists from heavy . machinery operators to architects, engineers, carpenters, mechanics,' brick? r , layers, and landscape gardeners. V “The Japanese fled from San Jose in • such haste that they left a--warm-breakfast," says the correspondent oi the Associated Press* on Mindoro. ?!Thc island is not far from, the Army's , promised land, and. the -any general’s sweet dream.-The anese haVe not offered the resistance and the weather isjust right. 1 For the first time in the Philippines' " , campaign it is helping instead ” of hindering the forces." SHIPS SUNK OFF LUZON STRIKES BY CARRIER' AIRCRAFT (Rec. 8.30 pm.) WASHINGTON, Dio, “Further reports of, earner-based ■ • strikes against shipping in ana round . Luzon on December 13,-M and 15,*' .. 1 says a United States Pacific Fleet communique, “reveal the following ad* ditonal damage'.to the.enemy. ; , “A large oil; tanker, a minelayer, seven small craft, and five small ve«- _ scls were sunk.' a. large transport,, a.: medium oil.tanker, a.small oil tank? er, and a coastal defence ycss£l; w«® damaged. Revised information .shows , that nine cargo ships were sunk end nine cargo, ships damaged, v ~ “Our forces lost 27 aeroplanes' Wn. , combat in the three days’ action.” »" Yesterday’s communique . reported the destruction pf 28 enemy ships.' 1 r - ADVANCE IN ARAKAN . • , , . ..-*i ; : (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) KANDY. Dec. 10, “In Arakan, Burma, our two bridaeheads on the east bank .of the Karla* panzin have linked up and our troops continue to advance east and,south,states South-east Asia Command Headquarters. “Forward troops in 1 the . coastal strip are now more than 20 miles south and south-east of Matingdaw. Naval craft shelled the enemy two miles ahead of < bur forces. - . . “Allied aircraft destroyed two bypass bridges in northern Burma, and gave support to our ground forces. Other formations attacked rail and river communications and stores areas,, and strafed airfields. Heavy bombers hit targets on Great Coco Island, north of tbe Andamans, and near Andrew Bay, Arakan.”

CIVIL AVIATION CONFERENCE

N.Z. PLAN STILL BEING CONSIDERED

STATEMENT BY HON. D. 6. SULLIVAN (Official News Service) LONDON, Lee. IS.

The joint New Zealand and Australian proposal that international trunk air services should be internationally owned and operated was not finally rejected at the recent conference in Chicago. „. The proposal has been passed to the interim council for study, and the council is obliged to report on it to the full international assembly. This means that the plan is still assured of careful consideration before a final decision is made.

This was made clear in London by the chairman of the New Zealand delegation (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan), who arrived by air to lake part in discussions on the British Commonwealth post-war plans, and Industrial development in New Zealand. Commenting on the work of the conference. Mr Sullivan said that looking back on it as a whole, he must say he regarded it as disappointing, in that it failed to set up effective powers of control in the fields of both air navigation and air transport. Having regard to the thoughts with which New Zealand and. indeed, the British Commonwealth, had set out for the conference, and the need for some concrete measure of international control which would safeguard the world from a misuse of air power, he could not truthfully say he regarded it as a great success. The achievements with respect to air navigation, in. both policy and technique, were, however, very worthwhile in themselves, said Mr Sullivan. He also expressed great satisfaction with the result of the inter-Common-wealth discussions in which he took part at Montreal before and after the Chicago conference.