RESISTANCE ENDS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21549, 31 October 1944, Page 3

RESISTANCE ENDS

LEYTE _VALLEY ISLE ALMOST FREED SWIFT U.sT ADVANCES (10 a.m.) WASHINGTON, Oct. 30. “Our ground lorces on Leyte continued tneir drive through the Leyte Valley,”. says Uenerai MacArthur's communique. "The 24th Division, in a three-pronged attack, made gains to lour miies and captured Aiangaiang, Cavite, Sanata Cruz and fmgin. forward units of the Seventh Division entered Dagami and, with elements oi the 96th Division, are advancing rapidly towards Pastrana to enect a junction with the 10th Corps. Patrols are moving towards the west coast from Abuyag. “All organised resistance in Leyte Valley has ceased. For all practical purposes it is ours. We control ail the important junctions and communication routes. We control two-thirds of Leyte, comprising approximately 1800 square miles. The coastal land now in our hands stretches 212 miles irom Carigara in the north to Panaon islands in the south.

“The combined efforts of our guerrillas and the 21st Infantry Regiment, which landed at Sogod Day on the soutn coast on October 20, resulted m the conquest of the lower third ot Leyte southwards the westwards oi Abuyag. Enemy garrisons and outposts m the coast sectors have been liquidated. The small garrisons on Samar Island are helpless, and can be destroyed at will. 1,500,000 Filipinos Liberated

“The liberation of 1,500,000 Filipinos on' Leyte and Samar has been virtually accomplished. Churches throughout the liberated area opened on Sunday. "intermittent enemy air raids continued throughout the day and night against shipping and shore installations. Fignters and ‘flak’ brought down 13 enemy planes. We sustained light damage and casualties. “At Palawan, our heavy units in adverse weather struck at Puerta Princesa aerodrome with 12 tons oi bomos. Une thousand bomb hits destroyed 33 planes, cratered the runways and caused large tires. Other planes straied and destroyed three noat-planes in the harbour. Patrol planes bombed San itoque aerodrome at Zamboanga, Borneo. Patrol pianes set lire to a small freighter in the Celebes.

"Air patrols bombed Manado township ana scored a direct hit on a 10UUton freighter near Makassar. We destroyed a coastal vessel in the Moluccas.”

The Manila radio says that approximately 10U American earner planes raided Manila in northern Luzon on Saturday. The ToKio radio said that Allied carrier-borne aircraft raided Manna and Clark f ield on Luzon on Saturday. The raids lasted five hours.