U.S. DOUBLE COUP

Grey River Argus, 19 February 1945, Page 5

U.S. DOUBLE COUP

BATAAN RETAKEN And Corregidor WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 General MacArthur in . a communique stated: We have captured Battan. Our 11th Corps landed elements of the 39th Division at Mariveles yesterday morning. The movement was mounted from Olongapo and covered by the 7th Fleet and the Far. East air forces. Before the landings Mariveles harbour was swept of mines in a daring and skfiful operation in which the R re . Corregidor’s guns was neutralised oy cruiser and destroyer batteries and air strikes. The landing was made along the south coast at a number ot points to the east and west centring around Mariveles. x Our losses were light. Meanwhile the encirclement was completed by the Ist Infantry Regiment of the division which is now attached to the 11th Corps driving south from Pilar and capturing Limany and Lamad in the passage towards the junction with the 38th Division. , (Rec. 6.30) NEW YORK, Feb. 17 An Associated Press corespondent aboard the flagship of the force which attacked Bataan says: A strong American amphibious force on Thursday sailed unscathed through a four mile gap between Corregidor and Bataan, and landed troops which seized the Peninsula. By naval and air bombardment,, Americans kept Corregidor’s guns silent, excent for half a dozen shots which sent up geysers around the small landing craft, and sent them on a zigzag course towards the shore. The invasion troops were commanded by the recently promoted. Brigad-ier-General William Chase, who led the flying column which rescued the Santo Tomas prisoners. Doughboys swiftly pushed inland from a five hundred yards beach-head. Bomb and shell smashed Marivales which was occupied almost . immediately. Troops drove to small air strips within a few minutes. The only enemy fire came from light weapons near an airstrip which was packed with trenches and other defensive positions. from which there w’as no resistance. The Commander of ths Mariveles landing force, Colonel Rail Paddock, was going ashore in a Higgins boat when he. learned that the troops had landed almost unopposed, he commented: “Get out . your laundry boys! The villagers will be there waiting to do it.” It is reported from Manila that there are still Japanese on Bataan, but that they are unorganised and have been forced to take refuge in the hills.’ U.S. PROGRESS IN MANILA. General MacArthur reported: We continued our progressive . reduction of the enemy’s final positions in south Manila and seized two airfields at Mandaluyong, eastward pi the city. Patrols have reached tne west gate of Fort McKinley and the towns of Marakine and St. Tomino. Heavy bombers and fighters oombed Corregidor. Aircraft struck Luzon targets, including the Tugeuarao airfield; Cagayan Valley, also Rosario, San Fernando, Laumon, and £prt McKinley. Fighters swept the China Sea. attacking the Kato areodrome in the Mansi Islands and shipping oil the Hong Kong coast. H Medium and fighter bombers di opped 66 tons of bombs in wide-spread attacks on bivouac areas on New Ireland, the Ceravata areodrome at Rabaul, and defended positions on Feb. 18. ’General MacArthur on Friday returned in triumph to Bataan, says an Associated Press correspondent. Disregarding personal danger, he rode in a jeep, and then walked to the most forward positions on the east coaSc of the peninsula, where he cou-d watch Troops swarming ashore on • Corregidor. ‘Ho was disappointed when a blasted bridge forced him to turn back before reaching Mariveles, although he already had gone bey- ' ond the most forward road b.ocks. and was in Japanese-infested terntorv, through which only the first patrol had passed. “This 1 visit is easing an ache that has been in my heart for three years,” General MacArthur told Brigadier-General Edelman, _or the Sixth Army, as he stood listening to the roar of'guns’from Corregidor. General MacArthur had hoped to see the para-troopers drop on the rock, but he arrived just too late. With a small party, General MacArthur left • his headquarters before dawn for a-ten-hour inspection trip, which carried him so far into the front lines that it became almost a personal reconnaissance. In the first Filipino village, through which General MacArthur passed there was no excitement, but the “bamboo telegraph” apparently carried word of his coming ahead, and at Abuacay, the eastern anchor of the final defence line in 1942, hundreds of Filipinos, clad in their Sunday best, _ lined the street, and gave the “V for Victory” sign. Many, remembering General MacArthur from his visit shortly before his Withdrawal, shouted his name. General MacArthur was visibly moved, and repeatedly saluted as his little cavalcade moved on. Throughout the trip, General MacArthur made it plain that he felt that he had come home, and that Bataan and Corregidor had been the goal of his entire campaign. A South-west Pacific Staff Officer advised the party to turn back from Limay, but General MacArthur insisted on continuing to Cabacben, when he hoped to be able 1o see the para-troopers’ descent. General Edelman explained that area had not been cleared of Japanese, and American ’planes were strafing the roads, thus possibly endangering the party. General MacArthur laughed and said: “Oh, I don’t think they'll hit us .' After all, this is my homecoming. I want to go all the way.”

Capture of Corregidor EXPECTED QUICKLY. TWO LANDINGS' EFFECTED. (Rec. 6.30). WASHINGTON, Feb. 17. Tokio radio stated: American parachutists and landing assault troops invaded Corregidor on Friday morning. Heavy lighting is progressing. (Rec. 9.15)’. WASHINGTON, Feb. 17. “We have landed on Corregidor Island, and have seized decisive points. Its complete capture is now assured, with slight casualties,” says General MacArthur’s latest communique. “Arter a bombardment, by the Seventh Fleet and the Far East Air Force, the 11 th y Corps, - in a' closely-co-ordinated parachute and amphibious movement, accomplished a double landing. A paratroop regiment unit successfully dropped on the top side of Corregidor. taking its batteries and defences in the rear. The enemy, was completely surprised by the air landing. Shortly after this, elements of the 24th Division ferried across a narrow channel from Bataan, and landed on Cofregidor’s south shore, completely dislocating the enemy’s garrison. They immediately advanced inland, and joined the paratroopers. Recapture of Bataan and Corregidor clears the entrance to Manila' Bay, opening a great harbour to our fleets. Twentvone officers and men, comprising 16 Americans, three Dutchmen, and two Britons, who had maintained themselves in hills, were recovered in "“Destruction of the enemy garrison jn south Manila continues. Our pat-

rols are active around Fort McKinley. Our 40th Division has continued progressive elimination of enemy groups in the Zambales Mountains. Activity in our First Corps sector has been limited. Our fighters swept aerodromes on Negros, Cebu, and Mindanao Islands. Other aircraft attacked railway targets on Formosa, and shipping off Sakishima Islands, and also off Celebes 'and the Lesser Sundas. Heavy, and medium units bombed and strafed targets in the Wcwak area, attacked personnel areas m New Ireland, and a dispersal area near Vunakanau aerodrome. Fighters continued to support our ground forces on Bougainville. A United Press correspondent m Manila' stated: An American commander, Major-General Griswolnt, called on the Japanese in the Intramuros district, Manila, to, surrender or to permit the evacuation of the civilians there “in the true spirit of Bushido and the Samurai code.” This ultimatum was wirelessed to the enemy. The Japanese radio reply was not intelligible, because of the lack of a common code. American artillerymen are now preparing to blast the Japanese out, but are holding fire, pending a Japanese answer. AMERICANS SUCCESSFUL. 'CORREGIDOR LANDING. (Rec. 9.30). NEW YORK, Feb. 17. An Associated Press correspondent with American forces on Corregidor Island says: Americans landed on Saturday from parachutes and landing craft with speedpower, which gave them strong footholds in a few hours, in spite of stiff resistance from Japanese lodged in ..caves and tunnels. The first wave of paratroopers landed at 8.35 a.m., after bombers saturated the “topside", a half-mile square plateau, with high explosive bombs. Most of the troops landed easily on a small objective. Others were wafted over rocky cliffs and picked up by American "small craft. Early reports indicated none of the paratroopers was killed by the enemy. Some were I hurt and killed in landing. After two hours of a pointblank bombardment., infantry went ashore from assault boats in San Jose Bay on I he “bottomside” of Corregidor, and, then fought their way in hand-to-hand combat up' steep roads and hairpin curves for a junction with the paratroops, which was achieved 45 minutes after landing.

A National Broadcasting Corporation broadcaster said: Corregidor apparently was only lightly held by Japanese shock troops, who look to tunnels, including th P Malirtto tunnel, which sheltered the last ditch American defenders in 1942.

A United Press correspondent say;s: Corregidor’s big guns did not lire ’ a single shot, but tn e Japanese opened up from pillboxes when American infantry landed on an open, unsheltered beach. They forced the Americans to dig in in gravel. The island’s tunnels are ideally suited to the .Japanese suicide defence tactics.