RAIDS IN PHILIPPINES

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 November 1944, Page 5

RAIDS IN PHILIPPINES

JAP. LOSSES HEAVY

AIR FORCE WIPED OUT WASHINGTON, November 7. “Catching the enemy apparently by surprise, carrier-based Hellcats, Avengers, and Hell-divers of the 3rd Fleet bombed airfields, shipping, and ground installations on Southern Luzon on Saturday,” says a United States Pacific Fleet communique. “Preliminary reports show much damage to . Manila Harbour and five airfields in the vicinity. Over Clark Field our fighters were intercepted by 80 enemy aeroplanes, 58 of which were shot down. Enemy air opposition was less effective for the remainder of the day, but an additional 25 enemy interceptors were shot down in the vicinity of the 3rd Fleet, and three more were destroyed by night fighters over Clark Field. More than 100 grounded aeroplanes were destroyed during these operations. There was night opposition at Manila. Skipping in the harbour was heavily bombed. . . “Preliminary reports show the following results: —One heavy cruiser burning and left in a sinking condition after several bomb and torpedo hits; one light cruiser damaged; three destroyers damaged; several cargo ships damaged; one submarine chaser sunk off Lubang Island. At Clark Field oil storage areas, shops, and hangars were bombed and set on fire. At Batangas Field, Lipa Field, Legaspi Field, and Lubang Field ground installations were heavily damaged. “Venturas strafed targets at Tonshima, east of Paramusir (Kuriles) on Saturday. Eleven aggressive enemy fighters intercepted and shot down one of our aeroplanes. Liberators bombed the installations at Kurabuzaki, at the southern tip of Paramusir, and started several fires. Liberators bombed two 180-foot enemy transports at Chichi Jima. The results were not observed, but Liberators hit Haha Jima." General MacArthur, in a communique, states: Alter harassing night attacks against Negros and Cebu aerodromes, heavy bombers dropped 72 tons on Lahup oilfields, damaging installations. There' was no opposition. Our fighters over Negros in a 30-minute combat with enemy fighter patrols, shot down six for the loss of one. JAPS SHORT OF PLANES RUGBY, November 7. As the result of widespread damage to Japanese aerodromes on Cebu and Negros Islands and the destruction of nearly 100 Japanese planes in the last few days, Japanese attacks on American positions at Leyte are almost negligible, reports an Agency correspondent. Shipping in the bay and at Tacloban Port has been free’ from bombing for five nights in succession, whereas in the first two weeks after landing there were more than 70 raids. Apparently the enemy is short of fighters as well as bombers. The, American attack at Cebu was unopposed, in the air. Liberators went in at will to drop 70 tons of bombs on Lavood aerodrome. The Americans advanced four miles down the Ormoc Valley. American forces moving along from the south are within 13 miles of Ormoc. JAP. RESISTANCE CRUMBLING. (Rec. 12.35 p.m.) NEW YORK, November 7. The Americans driving against the last core of the enemy resistance on Leyte have reduced the shell-churned Ormoc corridor to 25 miles, as the Japanese resistance crumples under the two-pronged American attack from north and the south, says the United Press correspondent. The 24th Division, led by tanks, reached within 15 miles of Ormoc in their drive from the north along the narrow Pinamop-gan-Ormoc road. Meanwhile, the 7th and 96th Divisions, driving from the south, reached within 10. miles of Ormoc. Late reports said there are no indications that the Japanese are continuing to land reinforcements at Ormoc, possibly suggesting that the remaining forces on the island would be sacrificed in a suicide attempt to check the Americans as long as possible.

HEAVY CASUALTIES.

NEW YORK, November 7. Some trapped units of the American 24th Division suffered heavy casualties on Leyte as the Japanese brought into action captured American machine-guns near Pinamopgan, says the Associated Press Leyte correspondent. Japanese reinforcements moving northwards from Ormoc joined in the fight for the network of ridges commanding the valley. ' The Japanese encircled the Americans, cut off their supply road, and subjected the supply trucks trying to get through to a hail of fire. Some of the trucks were lost, a few managed to retreat, but none got through. The Americans cut off the main body of the Japanese, inflicting ■ heavy casualties, but the American casualties were also heavy. LATEST PROGRESS REPORT (Recd. 1.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Nov. 7. Admiral Nimitz announced that carrier planes destroyed 440 Japanese aircraft and sank or damaged 30 ships in Manila Harbour, Southern Luzon. In the 10th Corps sector units of the 24th Division engaged in sharp fighting on the Ormoc Road to which the enemy rushed reinforcements, says General MacArthur’s communique. Elements of the Ist, 30th and 102nd I Japanese Divisions in addition to J remnants of the Ith have now been identified on that line. Three strong counter-attacks were repulsed with | heavy loss to the enemy. Our longrange artillery, firing on installations in the Ormoc-Valencia area, heavily damaged warehouses and supply I dumps, starting large fires. Elements of the 96th Division reduced to several enemy parties in the hills near ‘ Patok, four miles north-westward, f Locally-based fighters dive-bombed ( enemy, communication lines and bivouacs near Valencia and Palompon on the west coast. Numerous barges and small craft in Ormoc Bay were' damaged. Enemy air activity was negligible. Since October 20 our antiaircraft guns have shot down 144 Japanese planes. SUPERFORTRESSES ACTIVE. (Rec. 10.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, November 7. The Tokio radio reports that two Superfortresses made an hour flight over Honshu Island to-day; also 40 Superfortresses raided Iwo Island, in the volcano group, on Sunday. JOURNALIST CASUALTIES. (Rec. 12.40 p.m.) NEW YORK, November 7. Colonel Diller, Public Relations Officer at General MacArthur’s Headquarters, stated that the casualties among war correspondents in the South-west Pacific were proportionately heavier than in any other theatre of action, because they agressively go in with the troops from one operation to the next with little rest. N.Z. BOMBERS’ ACTIVITIES (R.N.Z.A.F. Official News Service) „ BOUGAINVILLE, Nov. 5. Bad weather and a change-over to

a new operational base have entailed a degree of restriction in the activities of New Zealand fighter-bomb-ers recently. Nevertheless daily harassing of the Japanese has been maintained and good results have been recorded. In particular, close attention has been made to targets on Bougainville and New Britain, and the Shortlands. Typical operations have been an excursion made by Corsairs, Which after several days spent bombing and strafing local targets on Bougainville, again took the wellknown route to New Britain to bomb supply bases and Keravat Rataval. The weather closed in before the mission was fulfilled and only two aircraft were able to get through to plant their load in the target area. The two pilots then turned their attention to strafing enemy huts and buildings. They attracted plenty of fire from the ground. The Japanese have a habit of • concealing heavy machine-guns among clusters of huts, and both pilots went in through fire. No damage was done and the net result of-the defence was to give away a Japanese position. It was marked for the future attention of the aircraft that were “weathered out.” On Bougainville effective bombing sealed up two caves where there were indications that Japanese bad established living quarters and shelters. Two aircraft went north to Buka, where they destroyed several huts and killed fivs Japanese. ' These events were followed by an Allied strike on a concentration of enemy gun positions by twenty-seven American dive-bombers. A score of half-ton high explosive bombs were on the target area despite heavy and medium anti-aircraft fire. Good coverage was reported from a strike by another New Zealand formation which planted six tons of high explosive in an extensive enemy supply area ner Kahili, at the southern end of Bougainville. Considerable damage was doen there and also by a raid oh a fortified area near Arawa, halfway along the northern coast. To celebrate the return to normal activity after the change-over to a new operations base, 264 sorties were flown against targets on New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville. On this day the enemy felt the weight of 105 tons of bombs. One formation dropped eight half-ton bombs and four quarter-ton incendiaries on the enemy’s supply base at Ralum, in New Britain. A large explosion in the middle of the target threw debris in ail directions and the area was blotted out by a huge column of smoke.