GREAT WELCOME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25674, 24 October 1944, Page 5

GREAT WELCOME

RETURN TO PHILIPPINES A CONTRASTING PARADE WASHINGTON, (Rec. 9.30 p.m. Oct. 22. The Columbia Broadcasting System’s correspondent, Mr William Dunn, said: I never in my wildest dreams expected to witness such scenes as those greeting the Americans returning to the Philippines. The first Americans entering Tacloban were welcomed with " mingled laughs and cheers. The people were almost inarticulate, due to emotion. Filipino women, dressed in colourful costumes, waved from every window and doorway, and several hundred Filipinos staged a parade in the business section of the city.

“ It was a brilliant affair, marked by much flag-waving and jubilant shouting, and contrasted to a marked degree with one the Japanese staged a few days previously. It seems that several days before the landings the people of Tacloban received word that the/ Americans were returning. The effect was so immediate that the Japanese sensed/what was happening. The enemy commander formally announced that an American invasion was impossible, and also that a 'convoy had beep destroyed off Formosa, with 800 planes, seven carriers, and 13,000 marines lost. The commander ordered a full-dress parade, followed by a grand ball lasting three nights, as a victory celebration. The entire Japanese, garrison paraded, but only a handful of civilians fell in behind. The remainder stayed indoors.

“The first night of the ball the United States Navy provided music with a softening-up shelling along the beaches. The first landings were madeon three islands at the mouth of the Leyte Gulf. The worst typhoon for 20 years then swept the city. Between the shelling and the wrath of the elements the Japanese lost all interest in their festivities, and soon lost all interest in Tacloban.”

The New York Daily News correspondent at Leyte, Mr Jack Turcott, says that small bands of Rangers landed in the neighbouring islands three days before the invasion of Leyte. Specially trained soldiers and sailors grabbed vantage points on Dinagat, Hommohncn, and Suluan Islands on morning, throttled Japanese resistance, and captured radio stations and official documents. The coup cleared the way for the fleet into Surigao Strait, which is the entrance to the Leyte Gulf. The same night minesweepers cleared the gulf, while underwater demolition squads of expert swimmers covered miles of water spotting mines and other hidden perils. They then went ashore and destroyed beach obstacles. Advance scouts from General Krueger’s Sixth Army also made preliminary landings on the Leyte coast, reporting by radio the Japanese strength, defence positions and weather conditions.

A communique from General MacArthur’s headquarters states:— “ Our medium bombers sank three freighters, possibly four, at Visayas. Heavy units, with 94 tons of bombs, wrecked buildings and started fires at Cagayan, the principal port and transportation centre of Northern Mindanao. No opposition was encountered. Medium bombers destroyed barracks areas in the interior. Our fighters knocked out 23 trucks on Sayre highway. Patrol planes sank two small vessels off Sagangani Island. “Heavy units attacked the enemy, base at Parepare, north of Makassar, and dropped 21 tons of bombs on waterfront installations and warehouses. Patrol planes set on fire supply dumps at Kaoe Bay, in the Halmaheras, and attacked small shipping. Medium units of attack planes and fightei'- bombers, carrying 53 tons of explosives, attacked Ambon township and aerodrome and the Boela oil installations. We cratered runways and started many large fires. We lost one bomber.

“At Timor, medium units and patrol planes bombed enemy installations near Dilli, starting large fires. Others attacked Lauten and Larat, in the Taninbar group Attack bombers and fighters bombed aerodromes in Geelvink Bay and the MacClure Gulf, cratering runways and starting fires.”