GRIM BATTLE

Grey River Argus, 10 November 1944, Page 5

GRIM BATTLE

ON LEYTE ISLAND Enemy Reinforced (Rec. 9.10) WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 )A correspondent of the United Press of America says: In mountains and ridges leading down to the Ormbe Plains on the west coast or Leyte Island, the United States 24th Division troops are locked in a thundering battle with desperately resisting Japanese forces. Despatches from the fronit said that the fighting is among the most savage of the Pacific war as the Japanese have been reinforced by units from three Divisions. The Japanese have fought to hold open their major escape route through Ormoc, fifteen miles to the southward. Both sides have used tanks and heavy artillery. It is reported that American forces are within fifteen air miles of Ormoc, and within five miles of the key road junction at Libungao. There an eighteen foot road widens out into a iirstciass strip at the head of the Ormoc Plains.’ If the Japanese are able to hold Libungao and to keep open another secondary route, to Paiornpon, they can evacuate Leyte across the Camotes Sea to Cebu Island. Tropical Hurricane MACARTHUR’S REPORT. I HEAVY ORMOC FIGHTING. (Rec. 8.0.) WASHINGTON, Nov. B.’ General MacArthur, in a communique says: In the Tenth Corps sector, the 24th., Division is now engaged in.heavy fighting with enemy defensive forces on the Ormoc road. Our long-r.ange artillery continues l interdiction of enemy communication lines in the Ormoc corridor. In the 24th. Corps sector, the 96th. Division is reducing isolated enemy Dillboxes and strongpoints west of Damagi. Our fighter 'planes have attacked enemy bivouacs, supply dumps and assembly areas on the Ormoc plateau. The enemy air activity .has been negligible. Our air patrols shot down seven enemy fighters. There is now a tropical hurricane, which is restricting all operations. JAPANESE AIM. TO HOLD OUT ON LEYTE. (Rec. 12.5.) NEW YORK, Nov. 9. The Tokio official radio says: Upon the accomplishment of General Yamashita, the new Japanese Commander in the Philippines, depends the future, not only of Japan, but of every other country in East Asia. The capture of Leyte Island would enable the Allies to cut off a flow of strategic materials from South Asia and would provide bases for raids on Formosa and Indo-China. General Yamashita is pledged to a last-ditch defence, because the Battle of Leyte is a decisive battle for the Japanese homeland.” JAPS. EXPECTED TO ATTACK. MACARTHUR’S LONG-RANGE TACTICS. (Rec. 11.10.) NEW YORK, Nov. 9. The "New York Times’s” correspondent on Leyte Island, Frank Kluckhorn, says: The Japanese appear to be ready to take the initiative, from their pivot on the Ormoc plateau. There the enemy’s last stand on this island may be made. Meantime a tropical storm and torrential rains are delaying an ultimate showdown, with the mechanised equipment of both sides bogged dowm and the air force grounded. Our artillery is still playing the mam role in smashing enemy forces in the narrow Ormoc corridor. General MacArthur is, apparently, determined to waste as few troops as possible by having the Japanese hemmed in and outranged in a narrow area. His emphasis is on pounding them to pieces from a distance. U.S. RAIDS. ON ENEMY-HELD ISLANDS. (Rec. 9.0.) WASHINGTON, Nov. 9. The Pacific Fleet communique reports: Raids were made on enemy installationse on Iwojima and Pagan Islands, northern Palau Islands, Marcus, Wake and the Marshalls. Further U.S. Air Raids IN PHILIPPINES AND S.W. PACIFIC. 35 ENEMY ’PLANES SHOT DOWN. (Rec. 11.35.) WASHINGTON, Nov. 9. General MacArthur, in a communique, states: Heavy operating units in adverse weather dropped 37 tons of bombs on Alicante aerodrome at Visayas. Others conducted night harassing attacks on enemy airfields. Fighters swept over Cebu. Negros and Panay throughout Wednesday, strafing and .also engaging several groups of enemy interceptor ’planes. Thirty-five enemy ’planes were destroyed. Four others probably were destroyed. In addition a one-thousand ton freighter was sunk by strafing at Sabrita. We lost one bomber and three fighters. Medium units executed low-level attacks on Cagayan, m Mindanao, scoring hits on a destroyer in the bay. Heavy bombers attacked the waterfront of Mamli Gulf at Bone, in Celebes, severely damaging shipbuilding yards. Heavy, medium and attack bombers continued to attack Wewak, dropping forty-five tons of bombs. COMING RAIDS ON JAPAN. (Rpc. 9.50.) WASHINGTON. Nov. 9. General Arnold, in a speech at Detroit, said: The time is coming when thousands of American bombers will visit Janan daily with the same death and destruction that has made life hardly worth living in Germany. Vast distances nut a premium on air power in the Pacific, where to-day only long-range Super-Fortresses can hit Japan proper But to-mor-row, things will be different, because we are moving step by step nearer to Tokio, and securin'’ bases from which our full air strength can be exerted against Japan, and that is something for which we now have thousands of bombers available. MORE SUPERFORTRESSES. (Rec. 9.50). NEW YORK, Nov. 9. The Boeing Company has disclosed that it has received a new contract from the War Department for a thousand additional Superfortresses.