BAGUIO REACHED

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25181, 19 April 1945, Page 5

BAGUIO REACHED

AMERICANS ON LUZON 7000 CIVILIANS FREED MAJORITY FILIPINOS (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON. April 17 Ameriean forces are oc the outskirts of the enemy's mountain citadel of Baguio, Northern Luzon, and over 700U civilians have been rescued, says General Mac Arthur's communique. The majority are Filipinos, and others include British Commonwealth and United States nationals. The pressure of our forces enabled them to evade the Japanese at night and reach our lines. Four members of the collaborationist government have been captured and will be confined for the duration for military security and then handed over to the Philippines Government for trial. Aerial operations continued over enemy air bases in Formosa and over the China Sea from Shanghai to Singapore. Railway communications in IndoChina were hit heavily. RYUKYUS OPERATIONS i PROGRESS ON lESHIMA (Reed. 11.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, April 18 About two-thirds of leshima Island, off Okinawa, Byukyus, was brought under the Tenth Army's control today as our forces wheeled eastward to occupy a line from t*he north-east corner of the airfield along the base of the island's central pinnacle through the town of Eigusugu to the southern coast, says a Pacific Ocean Areas communique. Resistance was moderate all day. Small enemy pockets continued to resist marines' attacks on Motobu Peninsula and Northern Okinawa. Army lines in the south have not changed. Heavy naval gunfire, carrier aircraft and artillery supported the troops in the northern and southern sectors. The Tokyo'radio announced that Americans landed on Menna Island, four miles to the south of Teshima Island, to obtain a new airfield. United States forces attacking the Japanese home islands and the Ryukyus between March 18 and April 17 destroyed over 2200 Japanese aircraft in the air and on the ground. Carrier aircraft destroyed 1600 of the total. British naval units operating off the Sakishumas and Formosa destroyed an additional 80 planes. BOMBING OF JAPAN (Seed. 7.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON. April 18 A Twentieth Air Force communique says that a large force_ of Super-For-tresses again attacked air installations *>n Kyushu, Japan. The United Press correspondent on Guam says reconnaissance shows that Monday's incendiary raid on Tokyo brought the total area of burned-out Tokyo to 32.7 square miles. EUROPE TO PACIFIC RE-DEPLOYMENT BEGINS (Reed. 7.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, April 17 A high official of the War Department reveals that the movement of men and material from Europe to the Pacific has actually begun, reports the New York Times Washington correspondent. Although it is only token re-deploy-ment. it is officially viewed as highly significant and indicative of a trend that will be accelerated while the European war is still continuing. The official says a shipping scheme has been worked out whereby cargo ships will carry grain to Europe and bring back soldiers. This would advance the entire re-deployment schedule four months beyond the original estimated time-table. DEBATE CANCELLED LONDON, April 17 Mr Churchill, in the House of Commons, has announced the cancellation of the debate scheduled for Thursday on Poland and the general war situation, says the British official wireless. In a statement he strongly intimated that recent events, with possible future repercussions, might make such a debate inopportune. "I think," he added, "it might lie awkwardly in the general movement of events."