PACIFIC VICTORIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 December 1944, Page 5

PACIFIC VICTORIES

PHILIPPINE GAINS AND LOSSES

U.S.A. AERIAL DOMINATION

WASHINGTON, December 25.

“The Leyte and Samar campaign can now be regarded as closed except for minor mopping up” says a communique from General MacArthur s headquarters in the Phillippines.. The 77th Division captured Palompon, on the west coast of Leyte, by an amphibious movement from Ormoc. Landing in his rear we took the enemy completely unawares. Caught between this force and one advancing overland from the east the enemy was able to offer little resistance. Meanwhile the 24th Division cleaned up the west coast in the vicinity of San Isidro. The 7th Division landed at Puerto Bello on the west shore of Ormoc Bay, and the 32nd Division and the Ist Cavalry Division are rapidly moving to the west coast against practically no resistance. . “Our losses in the Leyte campaign were 2623 killed, 8422 wounded, and 172 missing, making a total of 11,217. The enemy’s ground forces have been practically annihilated. The Japanese losses were 113,221, of which 54 338 were abandoned dead, ana 18,’500 estimated dead (not yet collected and those buried by the enemy). Four hundred and ninety-three prisoners were taken. It is estimated that 30,000 Japanese troops were lost in the 10 convoys attempting reinforcement, as well as 9890 naval ratings in the crews of the 41 transports (of 164,250 tons), and th* 27 warships sunk. . “Altogether 2748 enemy aeroplanes have been destroyed in Philippine air battles since October 20, 1515 by landbased aeroplanes and anti-aircraft defences and 1233 by 3rd Fleet carriers. The completeness of this destruction has seldom been paralleled in the history of warfare. General Yamashita has sustained perhaps the greatest defeat in Japanese military annals. There is little enemy ground or air activity on Mindoro Island.” Dealing with Allied air activity in the Philippines, General MacArthur s communique says: “Heavy bombers dropped 40 tons of bombs on Clark airfield, north-west of Manila. Between 50 and 60 enemy aeroplanes intercepted, 18 of them being shot down and two probably destroyed. We lost one aeroplane. Our air patrols destroyed three enemy aeroplanes off the Luzon coast. Heavy and fight-er-bombers dropped 132 tons on six Negros aerodromes, runways being severely cratered. Sixteen parked aeroplanes were destroyed or damaged. Medium bombers attacked installations at Samboanga, Mindanao, and hit the Davao waterfront, destroying warehouses and jetties. Three small freighters and naval units sank an enemy torpedo boat off the north coast. Offier bombers struck a supply bivouac and defence areas at Loloesaea and Hatetabako aerodromes, in the Moluccas, and enemy-occupied areas in the Lesser Sundas. Heavy and medium bombers dropped 115 tons on Vunakanau and Tobera aerodrome installations at Rabaul.”

RESULTS REVIEWED

NEW YORK, December 26

“The Japanese succeeded in tying ■ up seven combat divisions in the > Leyte battle, which are more than we wished to keep engaged this long,” , says the correspondent of the “New York Times” on Leyte. “Nevertheless, considering the bitterness of th<_ fight- I mg and the terrible terrain the re- ; suits show remarkable generalship, ; also that the. Americans outsmarted and outfought the Japanese. We more than retrieved what mistakes we made by brilliant infiltrations, by pushing the enemy constantly, and by razzle-dazzle tactics in surprise landings at Ormoc and Palompon. Our losses are amazingly low, but the Japanese permanently lost troops needed for the defence of the Philippines.” According to the Tokio radio, General Yamashita, in a recent interview at his Philippines headquarters, said: “Japan need not worry about an island or two. We have lots of them.” He added that he came to the Philippines with a single purpose, to fight a direct war to a successful finish. He pointed out that “if we can smash 150,000 to 200,000 American troops here it ought to make even America wince.” “The reduction of Japanese an power in the Philippines is one of the main reasons for the acceleration of General MacArthur’s campaign,” says the United Press correspondent on Leyte. “It appears that the day pl complete American air domination is not far off. It can now be revealed that the Americans never had more than local air superiority during the first six weeks ol the campaign, and even that left much to be desired sometimes. The Japanese then had more than 100 aerodromes within striking distance of Leyte. The Americans had only one usable in the then current rainy season. The Japanese had many more aircraft than the Americans simply because the Americans did not have enough aerodrome space to bring reserves from the rear. “Nov/ we have reached, the point where we can expect to chase the Japanese air force from the Philippines or reduce it to impotence within a reasonable time. The Americans are building additional fields on Leyte and Mindoro.” “Thousands of Filipino guerrillas are taking the offensive against the Japanese throughout the islands com prising the Philippines Group,’ says the same correspondent in anotnei dispatch. “The guerrillas are moving from their mountain retreats and valleys to the coastal areas, capturing airfields, seaports, 1 and other outposts which the enemy is no longer strong enough to defend. Some enemv garrisons have already collapsed because of lack of food and ammunition. It now appears that it will be unnecessary for American troops to land on more than nalt-a-dozen islands. The guerrillas aie capable of mopping up the thousands of smaller islands, although the task will be slow.” AERIAL ACTIVITIES (Rec. 2.0 p.m.) , . WASHINGTON, December 26. General MacArthur announced that the aerial offensive against Luzon is continuing. Heavy bombers dropped 44 tons on the Clark field in Manila on Christmas Day. The Navy announced that about 20 Japanese planes raided Saipan on Christmas Eve. Four were shot down. BONIN ISLES BOMBARDED WASHINGTON, Dec. 25. “Ships of the United State Pacific Fleet bombarded Iwo Jima, m the Bonins, on Saturday, in a joint operation with Army and Navy bombers and fighters, and the 21st Bomber Command,” reports a Pacific Fleet communique. “Coastal defences were shelled by our surface units,' which encountered some enemy gunfire, but suffered no damage. Our ships sank an enemy destroyer, an escort patrol craft, and a medium-sized, landing ship. Liberators . and Lightnings bombed and strafed airstrip installations and shore defences, destroyed one enemy aeroplane on the ground . and damaged -six. All our aeroplanes returned. Strategic Air Force bombers the same day attacked airstrip ; facilities on Chichi Jima, in the Bonins. Marine fighters attacked instal- . lations at Babelthaup, setting on fire i several buildings.” I A “New York Times’s” Pearl Harbour correspondent states: The se-

cond naval blow at month brought a climax to seventeen days’ continuous neutralisation., bombings to knock out aerodromes from which Japanese are mounting'air attacks against a Superfortress base on Saipan. Iwojima apparently no longer poses a threat to our long-range air campaign against the Japanese mainland. Enemy resistance to our bombing has been steadily weakening. In the latest raid only two enemy aircraft attempted interception. ; RAIDS ON _ JAPAN WASHINGTON, Dec. 25. A United States 20th Air Force communique says that Superfortresses bombed the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya on December 22. Results were not observed as the bombing was accomplished by instruments. The Superfortresses suffered no losses. A majority of the returning crews reported, when they returned to Saipan, that they had met the toughest fighter opposition yet over Japan. One formation said more than 150 fighters were waiting over Nagoya for the Americans. The enemy attacked as the SuperfortressekJ'prossed the coast; the second attacked over the target, and the third fought the returning raiders to the coastJq EMPEROR’S MESS AGE Y . r"..; (Rec. 11.30 a.m.) X " NEW YORK, December 26/ The Tokio radio stated that; Emperor Hirohito’s rescript read to the Diet said the war situation was becoming critical and calling for intensified efforts by the Japanese people. The Emperor praised the Japanese Army and Navy for dealing crushing blows against the enemy everywhere;? and also praised the home front Iffir increasing production and overcoming the hardships and privations. ' ADMIRALS FRASER AND NIMITZ

BRISBANE, Dec.. ; 25.’ •. Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, Cohr-mander-in-Chief of the British Rae.ific Fleet, who has returned to Australia after conferring with Admifsil; Nimitz at Pearl Harbour, said he : had had a most cordial meeting wititi'tifef; American Admiral. “We reached entire agreement, on.' what we shall do,” said Sir Bruce! Fraser. He would meet General Maj?-’ Arthur as soon as arrangements could be made, and there was little, doubt that his British Fleet woiffd; be helping General MacArthur in the ■ northward drive. He added that‘ he would not be issuing communioues. The- activities of his fleet would be covered by Admiral Nimitz’s communiques.