War in the Pacific
Media
Part of Philippine Review
- Title
- War in the Pacific
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1944
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- 1944 Ne w s Hig h l ig h t s 63 or otherwise, to the enemy, (7) communication with the enemy by any means, (8) listening to enemy broadcast. American planes that raided Manila on November 13, resorted to what the Tribune indignantly termed “enemy terror bombing tactics.” Residential sections of Manila were bombed and strafed. Hardest hit were the districts of San Nicolas, Intaamuros, Paco, Pandacan, Ermita and Sampaloc. Low-flying planes almost touched rooftops, scaring noncombafant Manilans. The Archbishop’s palace received a direct hit. Irreplaceable documents housed in the archives of the pa'.ace were damaged. Upwards of 100 persons were believed killed and many civilians injured. War in the Pacific Wa r d e v e l o pme n t s in November proved^ Japan’s” clear-cut victories in China, in Pacific waters, and on Leyte. In China, Japanese rorccs finally closed in on the .elaborate air fortress of Kweilin, the main base the 14th U. S. Air Force in China. The fall of Kweilin had been expected for weeks. Major-General Chennault and his men had in fact blown up three first-class airfields that millions of coolies and millions of American dollars built in before evacuating it some weeks befort it actually fell into Japanese hands The Japanese knifed their way from three directions and get the vailed city of Kweilin and the 31st army of Chungking that tried fUtih-ly to hold it The fall of Kweilin means that Japan has finally added one important link to the chain thal connects Japanese-occupied areas from Man-, choukuo through North China, down to Indo C hina and Svcnan It also means that the 14th U. S. Airforce has been < isidcrably weakened and will have Jo conduct its raids on Japan and Japanese shipping and supply lines from ^it bases located farther in China’s southwest. Tall mountain ranges separate the Japanese armies from beleaguered Chung; king, seat of Chiang Kai-shek’s go vern ment Last November there was talk of moving, the threatened capital to some other place Chiang Eai-shek’s government late in November suffered a shake-up brought about by American pressure. The Minister of War, Ho Ying Chin, was replaced by C neral Chen Cheng; while H. H. Kung. Minister of Finance, was replaced by his assistant, 0. K. Yui. i Qn Leyte, the U. S. 24th Divis^n was last month reported eocircWd, so that part of the 32nd division had to be sent from Carig.'.ro to Culasian point to reenforce the badly battered enemy troops in the ?ectoi west of Carigara Intensified Japanese bombardment dealt death-blows on the Americans, on both the reenfornrmts and the trapped Americans, whose supply lines have practically been cut off. The Japanese have been conducting daring attacks right within enemy lines, causing considerable damage to the Americans. The enemy was able >o 'and a few reenforcements in Ahuyog, which moved west to Baybay. The progress of the fighting on Leyte indicates that the Americans are slowing down their so-called offensive owing to stiff resistance. The Americans lande'd- on ' October 20 counting on an inilial strength .of 3 divisions which, up to late last month, was increased '.o 7. Japanese air attack.; on the supply line of the Americans has .limited the landing of reenforcements on Leyte American troops are thus confronted with the old problem of 64 Ph il ippin e Re v ie w December maintaining a lengthening supply line rendered precarious by incom.plete control of sea lanes-and islands dotting • these lanes. Arms and supplies for the' Americans are reported being ransported to Leyte by transport planes, indicating the difficulty of sending supplies by seacraft. Needless to say, war materiel transferred in this manner from bases thousands of miles away amounts to only a trickle. The American task force east of the Philippines suffered a heavy blow November 18 when the Japanese airforce sank two cruisers, and heavily damaged one aircraft carrier, one I attl^ship, and four transports. Four American transports in Leyte Gulf were heavily damaged and set ablaze by intrepid Japanese airmen that body-crashed on their objectives. Intrepid day and night attacks of Japanese air and ground forces on American positions on Morotai have resulted in. the crippling of four out of six airbases taken over by the Americans when they landed on the island in September 15. From November 1 to 29, the Japanese set ablaze 130 and damage 114 American planes. The strategic location of Morotai has been utilised by the Americans in their Leyte landing operations. Relentless Nippon attacks have considerably weakened American positions on the island. Meanwhile, the Japanese are pouring in reenforcements to drive out the one division of American troops holding the island. • • • War in Europe On t h e w e s t e r n front in Europe, the British 2nd and the American 1st and 9th armies tried to break through near Aachen hut were repulsed. A few, sectors changed hands several times, indicating the severity of the fighting. Three allied armies were able to advance five miles northeast of Aachen in a drive on the plains of Cologne, despite heavy German resistance. Dosendorf, however, fell again in German hands after it was captured by General Pattens’ American 3rd Army Part of Metz has been taken by an allied army, while de Gaullist French troops reached the Rhine after breaking through the Burgundy Gap. Four of the six main passes through Vosges to the Rhine were taken by French units and the American 7th Army. On the eastern front, the Soviets are reported to have ’dvanced toward Luchene, communications center on the Hungarian-Sloyak frontier, while farther to the south in Hungary, other Soviet forces captured Gyongyos, 40 miles northeast of Budapest. ---------------- ------- PHILIPPINE REVIEW-----------------------December 1944 Published by the PHILIPPINE PUBLICATIONS. Manila. F. B. 1CAS1ANO, Editor. JOSE LUNA CASTRO, Associate Editor. Editorial office, Publishing Bureau, Philippine Publications Building No 2, Soler and Calero Streets. Advertising and Circulation offices: Philippine Publications Building No. 1, Florentino Torres Street. Subscription rates: Three months, P4.80; per copy Pl.60. Entered as second-class mail matter at the Manila Post Office on March 25 1943 Manuscripts will be paid for after publication.