JAP. ISLES BOMBARDED

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 May 1945, Page 6

JAP. ISLES BOMBARDED

MANY' PLANES DESTROYED

PROGRESS ON OKINAWA

WASHINGTON, May 12. “Cruisers and destroyers covered by aircraft bombarded shore installs lions on the Minami and Daite Islands east of the Riukius on Thursday, says Admiral Nimitz’s communique. The following day air groups and ships guns destroyed 72 enemy aircraft over the Riukius, including 40 over Okinawa. „ . , . “Carrier aeroplanes attacned an - fields and shipping in the Amami group on Friday, destroying lour aeroplanes on the ground and damaging installations and a number of luggers. One of our major fleet units suffered damage during an air attack on tne same day. Ninety-three enemy aeroplanes were destroyed over our forces around Okinawa on Friday, including, 19 shot down by one of our destroyers. Several surface ships wore damaged during these attacks. _ “The 10th Army continued us general attacks to-day,, supported by heavy gunfire from the ships and sustained ‘aerial bombing. . A PI^ CI S,L I 2 gains were made on each flank. Lie ments of the 6th Marine Division entered the suburbs of Naha (capital of Okinawa). Progress in the centre of the line againstpositions m hilly country was slow; The 7 /th and 96th Divi sions captured important enemy strongpoints and made local advances against stiff resistance. “Tori Island, 55 miles west of Okinawa, was .occupied ..to.-day by. 10th Army'troops without opposition. “South of Korea, search aeroplanes on Friday sank a coastal ship and son fire three coastal cargo ships. Other aircraft damaged shipping oft the Kuriles and attacked targets at Paiamusiro, Truk, Marcus, Pelew, Yap, and Wake Islands.” . T ~ “The bloodiest fighting since. Iwo Jima surged across the flaming ridges of Southern Okinawa yesterday, when 90,060 United States troops and Japanese battled for the vital port and capital city of Naha,’ says the Umted Press correspondent on Guam, tiocress was agonisingly slow, as the Americans had to scorch the enemy from each strong redoubt and grope through the fog of their own protective smokescreens. Our flame; throwing, tanks set the hills on fire like burning haystacks.”

RAIDS AND MINES.

JAP. PORTS BLOCKADED

LONDON, May 13. The Tokio radio reports that 600 carrier-borne aircraft attacked tai get' on Kyushu, the most southerly ol the Japanese home islands. Everv major port in the Japanese home islands, including Tokio ant Nagoya, is blockaded by mines laid by 21st Bomber Command Superior!rosses, according to the Guam correspondent of the “New York Times. The Superfortresses have so lar been engaged on 19 mine-laying operations during the last six weeks, mostly in Japan’s home waters, constituting the largest operation of its kind in aerial history. The chief targets were the Inland Sea and its approaches, particularly the confined waters of the Sfmonoseki Straits. A similar operation was carried out against the Singapore entrance and adjacent- waters. It was pointed out that as. the Japanese attempted dispersal of industries to escape bombing sea transportation requirements would necessarily increase, because railways and motor faei'iffies were already overstrained. The mines are exploded when, a vessel approaches within a certain distance. This heavy mining further confines the remnants of the .Japanese navy to ports along the western coast of Honshu and islands further north. ANOTHER BIG RAID. NEW YORK. May 13. Tokio radio announces that 600 carrier planes from u task force attacked Kyushu, this rnornirig. JA P. FT .YING BOMBS? (Roc. 10 a.m.) NI?W YORK, May 13. 1 Attest Tokio broadcasts said thal 900 planes attacked Kyushu, appar-cntl-v in lhe ultempt to break (he stalemate in Okinawa, the radio added tint Japanese interceptors attacked the Allied Task Force from which the planes came, inflicting considerable damage. Reportin cf the appearance 01. Japanese flying bombs, an American airman told the United Press correspondent at Guam that when he.attacked a fliffbt of bombers he noticed n croup 6i small white unmanned propel lorless planes, 12 to 16 feet long, practically flying m with them. He considered that they came from bombers.

AUSTRALIAN PROGRESS

LANDING NEAR WEWAK

WASHINGTON, May 12. “Elements of the 6th Australian Division ha'.e macle a successful landing on the coast of New Guinea to the east of vv'ewak, and simultaneously other units of the btn Division have driven rapidly eastward towards Wewak along the ccFAv, savs General MacArthur's communique “The Royal Navy, the Australian Naw, the United States Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force gave support. This operation is aimed at the seizure of Wewak and the capture of airstrips. It will drive the remnants of the enemy s already isolated forces back into the mountains. “The systematic neutralisation m the Solomons and New Ireland of isolated enemy remnants continues. PHILIPPINES AND TARAKAN. “Our northern column on Mindanao advanced southward 10 .miles inland along the central highway past the enemy’s defence line at Lae to within one mile of the Del Monte airfield- Simultaneously, the 31st Division., pushing northward up the central highway? secured the Maramag airfield. In the Davao area the 24th Division repulsed several night counter-attacks near Mintal. steadily pushing the enemy back the hills be tween the Talomo and Davao Rivers. “Tn thn rnnfrsi sector of Luzon CUV

“In the central sector of Luzon cur columns converging on Ipo from north and south are now less than two miles away. Part of our light naval units patrolling the eastern coast destroyed several enemy small craft. “On Tarakan, Australian and Netherlands East Indies forces advanced one mile northward towards the Djoeata oilfields against scattered enemy opposition. Heavy bombers cratered the runway at Balik Fapan and destroyed barracks and shipyards. To the south they destroyed a freighter and two coastal vessels.

“Aircraft caused widespread destruction in industrial areas on Formosa. Heavy units continued to attack the Canton oil base.. Patrol aeroplanes harassed shipping and railway installations from IndoChina to Shanghai. “Heavy bombers attacked aerodromes, installations, and shipping ih the Netherlands East Indies.” SAIGON BOMBED MANILA, May 11. The United States sth Air Force announces that heavy bombers, in seven concentrated strikes between April 22 and May 4, wrecked .the luge oil deposits and the submarine

•’£’nct ship repair yards at SaigQU. Ninety-five.. Japanese freighters were damaged. „ , A spokesman., said that the destruction was so complete that Saigon—formerly second only to Singapore as a major naval station—had been made permanently useless. ALLIES’ SUPERIORITY. (Rec. Noon.) „„ NEW DELHI, April 13. “The present’phase of .the Pacific war is in its last lap,” said General Auchinleck, broadcasting to his. troops. “In the Prime Minister’s words, all that is needed is one big heave. The initiative and overwhelming superiority in weapons lie with us and our Allies.” SUPPLIES FROM EUROPE t "LONDON, May 14. “The Times’s” correspondent at Supreme Headquarters says: The keynote of the vast operation that comes into effect to-day for moving American armies in Europe is the rapid fulfilment of the military demands, for the war against Japan. American forces in Europe will now become General MacArthur’s troops, said a senior SHAEF staff officer. “Europe has become General MacArthur s zone of the interior from which his requirements must be met.” Most of the combat divisions and air squadrons will go to the Pacific via the United States, but many technical services will be embarked direct from Marseilles. Some are already en route to a new training command which is being established in Europe under the command of one of America’s most eminent battle commanders, for preparing troops for service in the Far East. They will go through eight weeks’ course on the Japanese soldier and how to fight him. FRENCH AID OFFERS. NEW YORK, May 12. “Admiral Barjot, of the French General Staff, has disclosed that repeated requests by the French Government to send French troops to the Far East for immediate combat duty have been vetoed by the Allied Chiefs of Staff,” says the Paris correspondent of the Associated Press. “France advised President Truman several days ago that she had two divisions ready to go to the Pacific immediately, but has not yet received a reply. The Government last November requested permission to send a battalion of fully equipped commandos to the Pacific., The request was refused after three months. It was again refused last March, when fighting flared up in Indo-China between the Japanese and French. “Admiral Barjot said 30,000 French regulars and a regiment , of the Foreign Legion were still holding out in the mountains of Indo-China, pinning down three divisions of Japanese. ‘The difficulty apparently is that Indo-China lies on the theoretical border between Admiral Mountbatten’s command and General Wedemeyer’s command,’ he said. ‘We first referred it to SHAEF, then to the South-east Asia Command, to Wcdemeyer, to London, and . to Washington, and then to all points again.”

CANADIAN VOLUNTEERS

OTTAWA, May 14

Those Canadian troops who volunteer for service in the East will be the first to be sent hime. They will be gii’en 30 clays’ furlough and then will be recalled* for training and transport to the Pacific. JAPAN AND RUSSIA NEW YORK, May 12. The Tokio radio acknowledged that the cessation of hostilities in Europe would make the future tremendously difficult. It declared that the. Japanese Government had clarified its determination to prosecute the war by herself. The broadcast asserted that there is great significance in the fact that Japan is still on friendly terms with Russia and reaffirmed the intention of remaining neutral. Enemy nations are construing our action as constituting a bid for peace, but this is an entirely mistaken idea. Japan will fight to the end against Britain and America, and at the same time maintain friendly relations with Russia.

GERMAN PRISONERS’ OFFER

WASHINGTON, May 13

Army officers at Fort Sheridan, Chicago, disclosed that a number of German prisoners recently volunteered to join the American Army to fight against the Japanese, but the offer was summarily rejected. The spokesman for the prisoners coupled the offer with a pledge that those accepted would return to captivity lor five years after Japan was beaten. It was explained that those volunteering wanted to qualify for American citizenship.