WAR IN PACIFIC

Grey River Argus, 23 November 1944, Page 5

WAR IN PACIFIC

Leyte Campaign Jap Cruisers Destroyed (Rec. 12.25). NEW YORK, Nov. 22. General MacArthur’s Headquarters in tne Philippines reports: Liberator bombers, making a third strike within four dap-' against Brunei naval base, blew up a Japanese light cruiser, and badly damaged anotner large warship, probably a light' cruiser. Other planes patrolling off Mindanao and Visayan Islands probably sank a 3000-ton merchantman. Thev destroyed five planes, and cratered various runways. General MacArthur in a communique states: The Japanese have made another effort to break an American road block in the Limon sector on Leyte but failed. Units of our 32nd Division in the 10th Corps sector .are maintaining unrelenting pressure on the enemy bastion at Limon. The rugged terrain of the mountain pass is ideally suited for . defence and compels time-consuming, piecemeal destruction of the enemy pillboxes, entrenchments and pockets of resistance to m’nimise our losses The enemy has committed his last Division in a desperate effort to retain this critical position. His relieving forces have been bloodily repulsed and thrust back in a desperate effort to break our road block to the rear. Twenty-fourth Division troops are combing an area south and east of Capoocan where enemy forces are attempting to infiltrate to our command post, artillery positions and supply dumps. Elements of the 96tn Division in the 20th Corps sector have crushed an isolated enemy strongpoint west of Dagann. Southwards a! small counter-attack against elements of the 7th Division was easily repulsed. Our heavy air units bombed enemy supply and shipping installations on Palompon, lestroying dumps and crippling two coastal vessels. Fighters strafed an enemy forward base at Valencia.

63,000 Japs Killed IN WEST PACIFIC ISLANDS (Rec. 9.15) WASHINGTON, Nov. 22. The Pacific Fleet in a communique reports: Army marine infantry units in the Mariana and Palau Islands continue to clear up remnants of the Japanese garrisons. The total of enemy casualties up to November 14 op Saipan was as follows: Killed 26,277, captured 2068. On Guam: Killed 17,238, .captured 463. On Tinian: Killed 6893, captured 316. On Angaur and Peleliu Islands: Killed 12,980, captured 420. U.S NAVY’S BLOCKADE NEW YORK, No. 21. Vice-Admiral McCain, speaking on his carrier plane to pressmen, said: “A naval blockade of Japan has begun. We are constructing a partial blockade in waters around Japan.” He declined to say whether future strategy called for a complete blockade. He asserted that the carriers of his task force,could go anywhere’ in the world. Admiral Halsey said to pressmen in the Philippines: ‘‘The Japs keep sticking their necks out by sending ships and planes dowYt to the Philippines. We keep knocking them off. We must sink their ships. That’s the' way to keen the land situation under control.” U.S. naval aviators’ reports indicated th,at Manila Bay was a veritable graveyard of Japanese shipping. The airmen said Manila breakwater. contained sunken steel ships and at Cavite there were no undamaged ships. Out of 81 ships in Manila Bay only three large and one medium were fully surfaced on an even keel While this was going on American ships poured supplies and reinforcements into Leyte. THE RAID IN JAPAN WASHINGTON, Nov 21 The U.S. 20th Air Force in a communique stated: On Tuesday a large force of China-based Super-fortres-ses attacked Omura aircraft' factory, Kyushu, in daylight, by instrument through heavy cloud. The results were not observed. The Super-for-tresses for the. first time encountered strong fighter opposition. They destroyed 20 Japanese attacking planes, 16 others were -probably destroyed and 19 damaged. Flak wasmeagre. All our aircraft have not yet had time to return. Therefore it is too early to determine Whether the r e were any. losses. Some aircraft bombed Nanking docks and results here were good. ■ Others attacked storage and transhipment facilities atShaiighai where results were fair to good. TEN U.S. NAVY VESSELS LOST IN S.W. PACIFIC . . WASHINGTON, Nov 20 A Navy communique states: Ine following vessels of the South-west Pacific force were- lost as the result of enemy action or perils of the sea in the Philippines area, but not in the battles of October 24/25:— The destroyer, Abner Read The destroyers Court and Eversole, One minesweeper. Two P.T. boats. The tug Sonoma. One landing craft. The following vessels of the soutn west Pacific force were lost in the New Guinea area as the result ot enemy action or perils of the sea: The destroyer escort Shelton. Two P.T. boats. AUSTRALIAN TRAINING FOR LANDINGS in PACIFIC SYDNEY, Nov. 21. British landing craft which took part in the Allied invasion of Europe are being used to train Australian troops somewhere in the South F’acific. Australians are being prepared for their next large-scale attack on the Japanese. Training is being carried on over an area of about • 2500 square miles. An official statement says that the wide variety of the country is making it possible to school men for every form of warfare likely to be encountered. As amohibious landings will form an important part of future operations in the Pacific stretches of beach are alive with all forms of seacraft from small landing barges to large troop and vehicle carriers.