CRUCIAL BATTLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25049, 13 November 1944, Page 6

CRUCIAL BATTLE

PHILIPPINES MOTES STUBBORN ENEMY STAND Americans make progress (Reed. 8.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 The First Cavalry Division on Leyte Island has pushed spearheads into rugged mountain regions surrounding Mount Pina and Mount Bazian, says General Mac Arthur's communique. Fighting is progressing near Mount Cabunggangan, eight miles south-west of Carigara. the 24th Division is maintaining pressure along the Ormoc Road south of Pinamopoan, where the enemy is resisting stubbornly. The 96th Division over-ran a series of strong defensive positions skirting Patok, driving the enemy remnants into the hills to the north-west. Heavy rains are impeding operations. Apparently the First Cavalry Division's advance in the mountains was a move to support the 24th Infantry Division's painful advance down the Ormoc Road in the face of Japanese resistance from hilltop positions. Temporary Reverses A field despatch from the headquarters of the Sixth Army earlier reported some temporary reverses for the Americans which underlined the severity of the fighting. One unit, the 24th Division, in attempting a flank attack was caught in a vicious enemy Hanking fire , and forced to retire. First Cavalry Division troops were forced back on Thursday night from a high position on a ridge. On Friday they tried to regain the and by nightfall the ridge was firmly in American hands. A National Broadcasting Corporation announcer revealed that the Americans are using fighters as dive-bombers because of the lack of planes built for that purpose. Ho added that the lack has been felt ever since the Navy turned the Leyte air operations over to the Army. The new Japanese commander on the island, General Yamashita, is using every endeavour to build up a lino of defence in the Ormoc corridor. Evidently he is attempting to assemble sufficient forces to break out of this line, which is now enveloped by our troops. He has chosen Western Leyte as the main battleground for the first supreme effort to crush our liberating forces. "Buying Time With Blood" The Associated Press correspondent at General Mac Arthur's headquarters says the most crucial land battle of the Philippines invasion apparently is imminent. as the latest Japanese Reinforcements have moved into positions in Ormoc Valley. Both sides are well equipped with tanks and heavy artillery. A front line despatch this afternoon reported that the fighting near Pinamopoan is already beginning to take on some of the aspects of Guadalcanal Apparently the Japanese intend to reinforce at all costs to prevent_ the final consolidation of the American line. This tactic is reminiscent of the fighting at Lunda and Esperance on Guadalcanar, where the Japanese threw in reinforcewith ghastly repetition, buying with Blood the time required to fortify elsewhere. 1

Despatches said that, in spite of the Japanese reinforcements, the Americans are holding the initiative and pressing towarcl the enemy supply port of Ormoc from the north, south and east. Apparently the Japanese are trying to contain the Americans on Leyte while they rush reinforcements ipto the more important islands of Cebu and Luzon to strengthen the islands against possible future American moves. SINGAPORE BASE DOCK AND HARBOUR IN USE JAPANESE SHORT OF SHIPS (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) COLOMBO, Nov. 11 The Japanese have salvaged the large British floating dry-dock afc Singapore and also repaired the harbour, which they are using as a naval base, says an Italian officer who served with the Japanese at Kobe, Shanghai and Singapore. The officer said the Japanese are running short of cargo ships and tankers. Large stocks of rubber and oil are lying in the Dutch East Indies, apparently because the Japanese cannot move them. The Japanese in the summer of 1943 began to lose confidence in their power to win _ the war. Their treatment of natives in conquered countries has improved. Many natives have been influenced by Japanese propaganda and knowledge of the Japanese language is spreading. German submarines are operating from Japanese bases in southern waters. Italian submarines, stripped of torpedotubes and other heavy equipment, carried gun models, tanks, radar equipment, tin and other precious cargoes between Axis countries. The Italian officer saw white prisoners in working parties in Singapore. They appeared to be fit and showed no sign of ill-treatment. LORD MOYNE'S DEATH FURTHER INVESTIGATION LONDON, Nov. 11 An official statement on the inquiry into the assassination in Cairo of Lord Moyne, British Minister Resident in the Middle East, states that the house .where the two assassins stayed while they w r ere in Cairo has been located by the police, says a Cairo correspondent quoted by the British official wireless. The.police raided the place and found clothes and papers belonging to the accused.

On Thursday the accused made a frank confession of all the details relative to the murder. They again stated that they belonged to the Stern Gang and asked to be allowed to write their confession in their o\vn handwriting. The investigation further revealed that one of tho accused left a parcel wrapped in ordinary paper with a certain Jewish woman whose name has not been disclosed. He requested her to keep the parcel until he asked for it. The parcel was seized by tho police, who found that it contained high explosives, a revolver and bullets. ZIONIST SYMPATHY DENUNCIATION OF VIOLENCE (PA.) WELLINGTON, Saturday The Zionist Council of New Zealand states that tho following cablegram has been sent to the Jewish agency for Palestine by Mr Alec Masel. president of the Zionist Federation of Australia and New Zealand: —

"We wore deeply shocked at _ the tragic death of Lord Moyne, the victim of assassins. We fully associate ourselves "with Jewish Palestine in their firm, unreserved and vigorous denunciation of any form of terror or violeiice. which is strictly forbidden by our religion, and greatly damaging to our just cause. Please convey to the British Government our sympathy in the loss of a great public servant." WELLINGTON TALKS CABINET APPROVES REPORT SYDNEY, Nov. 11 The deputy-Prime Minister of Australia, Mr F. M. Forde, announced last night that the full Cabinet had unanimously approved the report by Dr H. V. Evntt and himself on the Wellington conference, and it was expected that either he or Dr Evatt would make a statement on the conference in Parliament next week. The Opposition is certaifl to press for a debate*