DECISIVE BATTLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25697, 20 November 1944, Page 5

DECISIVE BATTLE

ACTION OFF PHILIPPINES SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY (Rec. 7 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Nov. 18. In a 8000-word report recapitulating the Philippines battle, a Pacific Fleet communique says that the victory was of such magnitude that it will greatly reduce future American casualties. “A series of naval engagements, which in terms of victory may turn out to be among the decisive battles of modern times, were won by our forces against a three-pronged Japanese attack attempting to prevent our landings in the Philippines." the communique stated. “The battle left the United States Fleet in command of the eastern approaches of the Philippines, providing support for General MacArthur’s invading forces and maintaining without interruption the seaborne simply lines to the combat area. "The Japanese are still wondering what hit them. It is therefore impossible to identify the composition of our naval forces or to describe our damage other than the losses. All the damage, however, can be remedied. Sortie American ships are already back on duty. We lost trie light carrier Princeton, the escort carriers Saint Lo and Gambir Bay, the destroyers Johnston and Hoel, the destroyer escort Samuel Robert, and a few lesser craft. The Japanese definitely lost two battleships, four carriers, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and an undetermined number of destroyers. In addition, one battleship, three heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and seven destroyers were so severely damaged that they may have sunk before reaching port. Damaging hits were also scored on six battleships, four heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and 10 destroyers.’’

In a chronological review, the communique details the series of actions preceding the Battle of the Philippines. including landings at Peleliu and Morotai on September 15, and a series of feints and thrusts by Viceadmiral Mitscher's Third Fleet carrier task force, which kept the Japanese forces off balance, and at the same time whittled down their aerial strength by some 900 planes. These successes indicated the feasibility of advancing the date of the invasion in the Philippines for which October 20 was set by General Mas Arthur in consultation with Admiral Nimitz and with the approval of the High Command.

The communique recounts various sea and air actions from October 9 to October 16. including the fleet’s appearance in the enemy’s backyard ofT Formosa. “ The effrontery of our attack on Formosa from the sea provoked an immediate Japanese counter-action," the communique states. " Strong bomb°r and torpedo plane units swept down from the islands of the Empire, out were broken up by carrier fighters. Two Japanese planes got through and damaged by torpedo a couple of United States medium-sized ships, which successfully retired eastward. “ Now comes one of the most fantastic chapters. Japanese airmen who managed to reach home reported an amazing victory and Tokio quickly claimed, for the fifth or sixtli time, that United States naval strength had been rendered puny, but this time the Japanese believed their own propaganda that at least 15 carriers and varying numbers of other warships had been sunk.

“The Japanese Navy task force was sighted leaving the empire to give the American Fleet the coup de grace, but when the astonished enemy scouting pilots saw' the size of the healthy opposition deploying to receive them, the Japanese expedition wheeled and ran back to the safer waters of the empire.” The communique th.cn tells how. after carrier planes carried out a series of raids over the Philippine Islands, large fast carriers and escort ships converged in support of the landings at Leyte. “The strategy had succeeded. General Mac Arthur's forces effected landings with complete surprise.” The communique goes on to describe th“ approach of three Japanese naval forces and details the ensuing battles and the losses inflicted on the enemy.