LEYTE OPERATION

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

LEYTE OPERATION

STUBBORN OPPOSITION JAPANESE COMPRESSED WASHINGTON, (Rec. 8 p.m.) Nov. 18. “ The Twenty-fourth and Thirtysecond Divisions, battling against stubborn opposition, further compressed the enemv’s strongpoints near Limon,” says General MacArthurls communique. “ Our road-block southwards has been strengthened, and all enemy attempts to run supply trucks through to his trapped troops have failed. The Ninety-sixth Division continued to eliminate enemy parties in the foothills of Mount Lobi. “ Our bombers attacked enemy rear installations at Ormoc and Linao, causing many explosions.and fires. Fighters strafed enemy small shipping in Ormoc Bay, destroying two small transports. In dusk and dawn raids on Tacloban and Bayug airfields, 7 of 15 enemy planes were shot down. We lost' one fighter. Our flak and fighters shot down the 500th plane since landing.”

Residents of Manila are starving, 85 per cent, subsisting on sweet potato leaves, according to a Filipino who worked as a messenger for an American officer before Manila was captured, says the Leyte correspondent of the American Associated Press. He added that most of the puppet Government officials were regarded by the Filipinos as pro-Americans, doing Japan’s bidding as a means of relieving the pressure against their countrymen. The Japanese forced the Filipinos to recondition all the American airfields on Luzon and also to rebuild the Cavite naval base.