U.S. OFFENSIVE

Grey River Argus, 21 April 1945, Page 5

U.S. OFFENSIVE

IN SOUTH OKINAWA Alter Heavy Bombardment (Rec. 9.10.) WASHINGTON, April 19. The U.S. 24th. Army Corps launched a substantial offensive against enemy lines in the southern sector of Okinawa Island’ on Thursday, says Admiral Nimitz, in a communique. Powerful concentrations of army and marine artillery in the early morning joined with battleships, cruisers and lighter units in delivering one of the largest bombardments ever made in support of ‘ amphibious troops. Under cover of this fire, and supported by great flights of aircraft from carriers, infantrymen began an attack between six a.m. and eight a.m. By noon the left and right flanks gained between five hundred and eight hundred yards. We captured a village, Machinate. The enemy stubbornly resisted the advance. Our troop’s are now striking at a fortified line organised in great depth and developed to exploit the defensive value of the terrain. The enemy fortifications on their northern perimeter follows an uneven line across the island at a point where it is about 8,000 yards wide. The fortifications are about four and a-half miles north of Naha on the west coast, and about three and a-half miles north of Yonabaru on the east coast. They include interlocking trench and pillbox systems, blockhouses, caves and conventional Japanese dug-in positions. During the forenoon, infantrymen knocked out strongpoints and penetrated and destroyed outer line segments. Admiral Nimitz’s communique stated: “Army troops on leshima Island continued to advance on Thursday, moving their lines forward, southward of legusugu Point. The enemy continued to resist from concealed fixed positions. "Our Marines continued to extend control over northern Okinawa, mopping up and progressing in Motobu. Peninsula. “Mustangs attacked Atsugi air field, in Tokio. Preliminary reports show the following damage was inflicted: Twenty-one planes shot down, two probably shot down, 26 destroyed or probably destroyed on the ground, thirtv-five damaged; a large cargo vessel was seen sinking, a medium cargo vessel was seen burning southward of Tokio. Our aircraft strafed ground targets at low level through moderate to intense flak. A naval plane sank,, a coaster in the northern Ryukyus. According to Tokio radio Ameiicans from twenty transports _ with naval support unsuccessfully tried an outflanking landing yesterday on the southern tip of Okinawa. ’ (Rec. 1.0). NEW YORK,'April 20. The “New York Times” says: The raid on Atsugi airfield, 25 miles southwest of Tokio, was the Mustangs’ first land-based sweep from Iwo Jima against the Tokio area. Mustangs, sweeping in under high tension wires at over 400 miles an hour, surprised the enemy, and machine-gunned 200 to 300 parked planes lined up like a Recent Superfortress raids devastated Japan’s’ ninth largest city, Kawasaki, just south of Tokio, says the Tokio radio. Forty per cent, ot Kawasaki’s workers were victims ot the war’s ravages. The remainder are carrying on with the battle cry. “Send more planes to Okinawa!”

Jap. Navy Coming Out (Rec. 9.45.) MELBOURNE, April 20. The Japanese Navy has put to sea for a mighty battle, according to . a Tokio radio' domestic broadcast, intercepted by the Australian Depaitment of Information listening post. “The fate of the Empire depends on this battle?’ the broadcaster told the Japanese nation. “The Imperial Army and Navy, which have waited and 'waited for this very moment since Guadalcanal’, have engaged the enemy in the Okinawa area, and will eventually launch a general attack with their full force.” , According to another broaacast, 1 okio newspapers have published frontpage photographs of Admiral Toynda. Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, over the caption “Decisive Victory at Hand.” Tokio radio also reports that the citv has been strafed for the first time, bv a large force of American fighters' Airfields around Tokio were the main targets. A Batavia broadcast, . intercepted to-day. said foreign diplomats had been evacuated from Tokio to an undisclosed plane, which was described as the new centre of diplomatic activity in Japan. WAR IN CHINA • CHUNGKING, April 19. A Chinese communique says: Japanese forebs have driven within sxityfive miles of Chikkiang. Chinese troops recaptured Fancheng, in Hupeh Province, thus completing reoccupation of all the Han River cities taken by 7 the Japanese forces in their latest drive. United States Air Force concentrated attacks yesterday against Japanese columns moving westward in Hunan province, which are threatening Chihkiang. (Rec. 10.5.) CHUNGKING, April 19. The Chinese High Command reported that the Japanese spearhead menacing Chihkiang, has been surrounded and is being reduced. Chinese have broken into the defences of Shanghsein, 360 miles north-east of Chungking.