Evening star., 1941-12-25
2 More Nipponese
Ships Credited
To American Subs
BULLETIN,
ON THE LINGAYEN FRONT,

fantry and light tank forces
were at Binaloan, ITO miles
north of Manila, today, driv-
ing south toward the capital
on the main highway.
BY the Associated Press.
MANILA, Dec. 25.-Defenders
of the Philippines are more than
holding their own on all fronts
and United States submarines
have accounted for two and pos
sibly four more japanese naval
craft, Army and Navy spokes-
men said today.
A spokesman for the United
States armed forces of the Far East
announced Frightening outlook for
land forces Of the Philippines al
4:25 pm. (2:25 am. E. S. t., saying
that from all reports being received
they were giving better than they
received from the reinforced in
vaslon legions of Japan.
c'Intense fighting" continued
on all important fronts on Luzon
Island, in the Philippines. with
counterattacks by American and
Filipino troops resulting in local
successes, particularly in the vi
cinity of Atimonan, southeast of
Manila" War Department COM
munique No %. covering the
Philippine situation up to 1890
am today declared. Enemy
aerial activity continued heavy,
the communique said)
Japanese imperial headquar-
ters in Toxic declared that addi-
tional reinforcements had been
landed at Lamon Bay, southeast
of Manila, and claimed further
gains had been made by forces
landed earlier elsewhere on Luzon
Island)
Admiral Thomas C. Hart, COM
mander in chief of the Asiatic Fleet
told id an interview of the victories
at sea, a followup to two submarine
successes reported last week.
A large japanese transport and
a minesweeper are known to. have
been destroyed, he said. and another
transport and a seaplane tender
were regarded as probably sunk.
Japs Reinforce Troops.
In the land fighting, however, a
United States Army spokesman told
of fresh Japanese reinforcements
and there was evidence that bellig-
erents already regard Manila as an
open city.
Fighting continues on all fronts
the Army spokesman said. There
has been no material change in the
situation. The enemy continues to
be reinforced"
United States and Filipino troops
skirmished overnight with advance
guards Of the invaders without a
decisive action, the spokesman said.
While it was officially reported
that no decision had been made on
a proposal to declare Manila an
open city and silence its defenses
voluntarily to spare civilians and
their property from further stacks,
an uneventful cruise of three for
nations of japanese bombers above
the capital and Manila Bay iortifi-
cations for an hour today was re-
garded by observers as of signifi-
canoe.
The planes neither dropped bombs
nor drew anti-aircraft fire from the
ground batteries that had hurled
shells into the air at every pre-
vious approach of enemy squadrons.
The scream Of afraid SIRENS
mingled with the tolling of Christ
mas church bells in second alarm
this morning, but the all-clear
sounded half an hour later with no
enemy planes sighted over the city.
Main Threat at Lingayen.
The main threat against the out
numbered American and Filipino
forces still appeared to be in the
Lingayen sector, 125 miles northeast
of Manila, with landing in force
at Atimonan, IS miles southeast oi
the capital, as a pincer diversion.
CA War Department COM
munique last night, however, re-
ported two new Japanese inva-
sions, one at Nasugbu, about IS
miles below the entrance to Ma
nila Bay and only so miles south
west of the capital. The other
was said to be near Mauban, 20
miles up the Lamon Bay coast
above Atimonan)
Gen. Douglas Macarthur, COM
mander in chief of the United
States armed forces of the Far East
was in the field himself to chart
strategy and seek to relieve handi-
caps of the defense.