ALMOST FINISHED

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23082, 22 December 1944, Page 5

ALMOST FINISHED

Campaign On Leyte (8.10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 20. The Americans continue to operate on Mindoro Island without Japanese ground opposition, reports General MacArthur’s communique. “Enemy air action has been light,” says the communique. “Our light naval units and shore flak shot down nine Japanes planes. “On Leyte Island, the 77th Division continuing its swift attack to the north, has advanced four miles from Valencia and seized the road to Libungao. At the came time the First Cavalry Division moved to the south from Lonoy within a mile of the 77th Division, thus completing the destruction of the Yamashita Line. We captured enormous quantities of supplies of all categories, basically sufficient for six months. The enemy abandoned 1541 dead during the day. “Enemy cohesion is now completely broken and he is no longer capable of integrated defence. Small remnants of forces divided into isolated groups are able to resist temporarily only at independent points. Scratched elements are fleeing toward Palompon endeavouring to reach the north-west coast. The battle is rapidly drawing to an end.” The communique also reports widespread raids by General MacArthur’s bombers and fighters. Heavy units bombed Legaspi, starting large fires and causing explosions. A long-range patrol, attacking an enemy convoy 300 miles west of Manila, damaged a 6000-ton freighter transport. Medium units of fighters struck Fabrica and Dumaguete aerodromes at Visaqas, starting fires. Medium bombers drpped 24 tons of bombs on Sanroque aerodrome at Zamboanga on Mindoro. Patrol planes ranging coastal sectors of Borneo destroyed or damaged a small freighter, another an unidentified vessel, three fuel barges, six oil storage tanks and a parked plane. We lost two fighters by flak. Fighters attacked enemy installations on the north coast of the Celebes, starting fires. Other planes attacked targets at Ambolna, Northern Halmaheras, Wewak in New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville. The correspondent of the “New York Times” on Leyte Island says that the 1541 dead announced in General MacArthur’s communique bring the total of counted Japanese dead to close on 50,000. Once the 77th Division landed at Ormoc and the First Cavalry Division broke out of the interminable hills, Japanese crack combat troops simply could not stand the pressure and turned tail, not to save their face but their lives. The battle for Western Ormoc has been tough, but the Japanese lost forces intended for use in other parts of the Philippines. Moreover, it showed that the Japanese apparently are no match for the Americans when fighting reaches open ground.