Evening star., 1943-05-18
Americans Seize Ridge on Attu>
Advancing From Two Directions;
Casualties Lighter Than Expected
Enemy Putting Up
Stubborn Fight
In Island Hills
By the Associated Press.


American forces have cap
tured ridge which apparently
is the main japanese defense
position on Attu Island, Secre-
tary of the Navy Knox an
nounced today.
United States troops advancing
north and south across the eastern
neck of the island, Secretary Knox
said, have been brought very close
together by this victory if they have
not actually joined.
The operation against the ridge
apparently climaxes the first phase
of the campaign for this island in
the Aleutians and Mr. Knox report
ed to a press conference that despite
stubborn resistance so far "our cas-
ualties are much lighter than had
been expected
Later a Navy communique re-
ported the action occurred last night.
The Army troops on the island
the Secretary added, have the full
support of warships standing off to
sea AND planes operating from
American bases to the eastward
whenever weather permits.
Capture OF the important height,
while its significance awaited fur
ther military developments to be
fully measurable. may have brought
the Attu campaign to the point
where little more remains to be done
than mopping up.
Details of Landing Given.
Secretary Knox's report on the
Attu fighting. which began week
ago with an American invasion of
the island which the enemy had
held since last June, was made only
about an hour after the Navy had
issued its first detailed communique
on this initial stroke to smash the
japanese hold on the Western Aleu-
tians
Ore paragraph in the communique
said the American forces were ad-
vancing against stubborn enemy
resistance from numerous machine
gun nests" and that the enemy
troops had entrenched themselves
along ROCKY TlQSe.
AS soon as newSpapermen gath
cred in his Office, Mr.. Knox noted
that the communique had been is
sued and said we now have word
that cur troops have captured that
ridge and have driven the enemy
out-we are now in possession of
the ridge
The extent of enemy resistance
from now on appeared to depend on
whether the japanese troops who
hold the ridge had retreated to new
and less favorable positions or
whether they we're killed or cap
tured
The ridge runs along the main
axis of Attu Island in an east and
west direction. To the north of the
ridge is Holtz Bay and to the South
is Massacre Bay One of the Amer
ican landings was made at Holtz
Bay and the other at Massacre Bay.
Pincers Closing In.
The pincers began to close in
from the two initial beachheadS
and Secretary Knox said it was his
understanding that the main enemy
defense force in the region south of
Holtz Bay was smashed by the
Massacre Bay landing expedition,
which he described as the main
American force
Once the American line is eStab-
lished it would definitely pocket the
enemy in the relatively small area
at the eastern end of Attu and the
Job would become one of wiping out
his installations which are chiefly
located in the vicinity of Holtz Bay
and Chichagof harbor few miles
to the east,
Secretary Knox said that so far
as he knows the rest of the island
which is the bulk of it's without
military significance and bare of
japanese installations.
The Secretary said that over and
above the normal difficulties of an
amphibious operation the one
against Attu is particularly COM
plicated because of the violent
weather which at almost any time
may produce high winds, heavy
seas, fog, rain or snow.
He said that one day of good
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