Milford chronicle., 1943-06-04
LAST WEEK IN THE WAR

Last week was a relatively quie'
one in the war. The battle for AttU
Island entered its final phase. AL
lied planes kept up a steady rain
of bombs on Axis Mediterranean
ports nd European production
centers. Storms raging over most
of the Southwest Pacific hampered
air activity in the Solomons and in
New Guinea.
When the week opened, the
trapped Japanese garrison on Attu
had been split up into three groups
isolated pockets harassed contin-
ually by low-fiying American fight
er planes. Attu Village had been
virtually wiped off the map by L. S.
bombing and strafing planes. Then.
on Wednesday, the Navy announced
that one of the three Jap pockets
had been wiped out and that Army
ground troops were attacking an
other.
Attack BY Combined Force
Enemy forces trapped in the area
around ChichagOf Pass were clean
ed up by combined northern and
southern American ground forces.
The assault was made along the
ridge of Chichagof Valley. and was
supported by Army bomber and
fighter planes. The same forces
then attacked the second isolated
Jap group. the garrison holding
out farther north in the area
around Chichagof Ilarbor, and after
hard fighting in a cOOrdinatcd at
tack along the ridge of the corridor,
U. S. Army troops succeeded in
gaining foothold on the high
ground south of the harhOr
A U. S. naval ship bombarded
Japanese shore installations in the
area and started numerous fires as
the ground troops continued their
drive. All buildings in the area
were destroyed.
The Japanese have fought back,
but their retaliatOry bombing raids
have had little effect on the Amcri-
can advances. Secretary of War
Stimson, holding a press confer
ence in Washington, said these at
tacks were carried out with bomb
ers which appeared from and. de-
parted for the west and suggested
that the planes were operating
from bases in the Kurile Island
group.
Casualties Comparatively Light
Incomplete reports of American
casualties in the struggle for Attu
show 127 killed. 399 wounded and
11S missing. Secretary Stimson. in
giving out these figures, said Jap
anese losses were believed to be
heavier.
Ba dweather. which aided the
Americans in their initial landing.
subsequently hampered their pro-
gress in the campaign. interfering
with naval artillery and aerial bonn
bardment. The Army has been ad-
vancing steadily under conditions
of sleet and snow. but freezing tenn
peratures and heavy fog have pre-
vented the full use of supporting
air power. Most of the fighting has
been between infantry units using
bayonets and haind grenadcs.
Secretary Stimson predicted that
if air operations can be continued
in good weather. the cleanup of
the Japanese will be expedited.
Mediterranean Bombing Attacks
The heavy pounding of Allied
bombings was inflicted over and
over last week on Italy's most i'm
portant ports. Harbor installations,
supply centers. rail and road facili-
ties, airfields. warehouses, ships, in
Sicily, Sardinia and Italy felt the
destructive might of Allied planes.
In one daylight attack, more than
300 planes of Maj. Gen. Jimmy Doc
Titles Strategic Air Force swarm
ed over Sardinia, meeting no fight
er opposition and no anti-aircraft
fire. wrecking ships, buildings and
airfields. In another series of raids,
Flying Fortresses and Liberators
roared over the Sicilian ferry ter
minus of Messina in one of the
most successful attacks of the
North African campaign, virtually
paralyzed that port. and in "a
hours brought down % enemy air.
craft over Sicily, Sardinia and Pan
telleria.
Raids on New Guinea
After several days of limited ac-
tivity. forced upon them by bad
weather, Gen. MacArthur's Allied !
fiieFs, using One-tOn bombs, raided
the Japanese bases at Lac and Ma
dang. and attacked a long stretch 4