JAPAN’S LOSING FIGHT GRIM FIGHTING ON OKINAWA

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24571, 21 May 1945, Page 5

JAPAN’S LOSING FIGHT

GRIM FIGHTING ON OKINAWA

Allied Progress On

All Fronts

HOMELAND BEING HIT HARD FROM AIR

(8.0. W.) RUGBY, May 19. The Japanese forces continue to fight a losing battle on all fronts in the Far East, while their homeland is being smashed from the air on. a steadily rising scale. Here is the latest position on all Far Eastern fronts:— Superfortresses have smashed at Japan’s war industry In Tokyo and Hamamatsu, 69 miles south-west ofTokyo. The Japanese have reported raids on four differ*** places on Formosa. On Okinawa, Americans are, making gains in fighting of unparalleled bitterness. Thunderbolt fighters are operating from an airfield on Okinawa. *. On Luzon, the Americans linking up northreast of Malik* have isolated several thousand Japanese and captured two' dams, the chief sources of the capital's water supply. * <. The capture ,of two airfields on Tarakan bridge this campaign virtually to an end. In Burma, the 14th Army, striking to cut off ’ • eastward escape route, has advanced In China, aftisr the Chinese capture of FoochpW^tfiwfip \ indications that the Japanese are abandoning 500 central China coa*t strip as indefensibla: American landing there. , tS

MW 1 Clasp FprjSkds'*’.•••'■* q| • 8 ■ 1 ' .'Mii&fey 'iMMil&itefeltt n. : whether th« sral^Hß parfioilasr. j m.*jm*. : which/la to c,s the A««iW&lo : fffMOWWtea-, eteen. 'The'Air Crew Sun^jßtt^is'sSpnrd-c/,* ed for the United m&SmF Tpppfr W; light bhiewith 4s in addftiona on either side. Tiut dNiign'4s symbolic 4of continuous setvicoifi the-Afcrbtte f by night end day. s* • !:? *'- .' -«. /.■’■*■, the operational , service on hind in/Slfcfljr* ' or Italyat any time during; H palgo mere fromthecanture of ttllcnr on June 11/ IMS. to Jtfay i 3,-; g^t,^whit^^| i rai e - verticalvetrines of equal width. ;• The ribbon for meFranceandGer-> many Star is the red. /white/and MMo of the Union Itt'ip Ibtfo-isttpiip'* are also usM as a swjjbol of ItajpgA and .■ V The Pacific Star ribbon is dark t withered edges stripe. There are iwofotbep&nat*. row strioes. one dark blue other UgHt blue. The are#* end ysl- - low stand for the forestnand beaches of the Pacific, the red edge* -#fr, the armies, the dark blue edge for the naval forces and merchant navies, end the light blue stripe for the Air. Force.; The Burma Star is dark blue with a central red striae, and In addition . ‘S6k wSul enemy attack on Britain's green and pleasant land. Two black stripes re* 1 / present the black-out telprig Hew CnitaL~*£Uwtia is be* lieved to have informed Britain, and America that Berlln is sodamaged that insufficient buildings are left to accommodate the AlliedControl'Com- ■ mission, which will probably Westablished at Leipzig, says the "Sunday Express.’'—London, Hay 10. Germans’ Children in Five thousand illegitimate children of, German fathers wore bom in mark during the five years Of occupation. Fourteen hundred Germans hava acknowledged their paternity.—Cohen* higen. MaF 19, •• ” : ?> ; " retain Qoestione&'-Petain denied being a member of the Cagoupe, a secret Fascist society, when questioned before his trial was continued.—Paris, May 191 ■ ■•■: : v -■* -• ■ . - : 7- ‘

U.s. MARINES HOLD SUGARLOAP HILL' NIMITZ’S COMMUNIQUE (Rec. 11) WASHINGTON, May ». ■ Admiral Nimitz's communique says: “Troops of the 10th /urmy maintained heavy pressure on enemy along the whole southern front .w Okinawa, yesterday, meeting strong rfslsttwcAjat all points oe vam' 1 -dStilW Marine Division withdn sw loaf Hill alter nightfall on Thuraawr, but occupied the sumhiit fot tttfcJtfm time alter heavy nghljmg ou Ttway morning. The enemy hW large numbers of trdopi; in aefepce this key poeitlon belore v “The Ist; Marine puvMMu MgSseveral hundred yards operating eSSt of Wana town and strongpoints in that area; »: Infantry Division tontliued;WWttu|t on strongly-held enemy, pOsmoia’Wna fySt & hilly sector at th® eastern endof the lines south and eastof Coni*' 9th Infantry Division pro«B3j3febting. ; - TheTeripmy; fjnpnated, fßPai artillery Are allJSgro* p#ik attempts to contain forces. 'V' ■* v.’j ♦ “Mne enemy aircrafts appeared over. Okinawa area on Thursday- even* wL\ Two enemy aeroplanes shot changes were 'madcTjitf ® portions of our trQOpu attatking iWi Uurl position to-day; ifeemy 'ireiißt*; lace throughout the hiUy .area rdimd: the fprfreis town remained extremely «th Marine counter-attack east or TakSmotoii jn .the early morning. ITw Division and the 77th, ion continued to. attack .dfristet heavlly-fortiited pdiea Nawa town; Tbie 9th pvMofl continues to envelop positions ■ rodnd Conical Hill and westward? In violent hand-to-hand fighting, J’ ■ “Last evening a small group of. enemy aircraft attached ourTprcfts on Okinawa. Fourteen were wrtt.down. “To Thursday the enemy had lost 48,103 killed on Okinawa, United States’ casualties ©imprlsea. wgl; Army and Marine personnel kutedaM missing, 18,258 wounded, and Navy personnel killed ®nd missing and 8978 wounded."

AIR r!aIDS ON JAPAN

OKINAWA AIRFIELDS • IN USE , • (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) NIW YORK. Miy W ; The United Press correspondent «ya. an American airstrip hacked fromOWnawa’s coral is bemg iJfSdwthmJM miles of Japan An Army Aviation Engineers’ Battalion finished construction 15 days after they landedon Okinawa, continuing work while fighting still raged nearby. Japanese bombers raided them as often as five 8 and Yontan airfields operating in central Okinawa, the Americans, now have three strips for developing attacks against Japan. The captured Machinate and Yonabaru airstrips are still covered by^Japanese artillery,, and cannot yet ot used. The large. Naha airfield is still held by the enemy. ... „ The United States :»th Air Force announced that a vers' large force of Superfortresses from the Marian#*, attacked industrial targets at Tokyo with, demolition bombs. The Tokyo radio, says 80 Superfortresses raided the/ Kanto area, including Tokyo, and Hamamatsu area, to the south-west. Thirty others laid mines in Wakasa Bay, on Honshu’s north coast. ' Ten mined the Beppa channel in the Inland Sea. Major-General C. E.' Lenjay tu/f nounced that Superfortresses have fj; stroyed or. damaged nearly one-foujap of Nagoya, key centre of. the Japsife ese aircraft industry. New ardta) burned out in the raids last Mohdmß and Thursday total 5.9 square miles: More than 1000 Superfortresses dropped 2,000,000 incendiaries in these raids.

COMMUNIQUE FROM MACARTHUR

WASHINGTON, May 19. General MaeArthur’s communique says:— “In all sectors of Mindanao the enetay is being forced from defensive positions back into the hills. The 43rd Division is mopping up the enehiy'S' Isolated forces west of Ip 6. In othfer sieetors 6th Army units continue the ye* duction of defences. Naval patrols bombarded shore installations In the Infanta area.

“Our combat patrols engaged in minor clashes with enemy forces in the central hills of Tarakah. “Heavy and medium bombers and fighters attacked Formosa. Patrols destroyed three freighters and long-range patrols swept the China Sea. “The 6th Australian Division captured Cape Boram, flanking Wewak harbour, and Boram Bay. Australian forces are in contact with scattered enemy groups east of Hongofais river, Bougainville.”