Evening star., 1944-07-26
Juncture Of u. S. Forces
Traps Jops on Guam

PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUAR-
TIERS, Pearl Harbor July 26 lP.-
American invaders of Guam, so
firmly established that their general
said there's nothing the Jap can
do now to run us Off" laid siege
today to japanese forces trapped by
a juncture of American forces be-
hind Port Apra.
Some Japs jumped into the ocean,
AL Dopking, Associated Press war
correspondent, reported as battle
ships, carrier planes and hill-based
artillery blanketed the sealed off
Orote Peninsula.
This neck of land, embracing an
airfield and Sumay naval base, forms
the southern end of the priced har-
Dor behind which marines and SOL
diers moved from north and south
beachheads to the juncture.
"A pail of smoke from bombs and
shells hangs over the peninsula like
a masterful piece of satanic art, y
wrote John R. Henry, representing
the combined Allied press, from the
shattered town of Agat on the south
beachhead. He hinted that Yank
drive out on the peninsula was i'm
pending.
No Enemy Planes Over Area.
Mr.. Dopking said all Japs have
been wiped out at the beachheads,
the enemy hasn't had a plane over
the Ara since July and the Japs
are abandoning much food and
ammunition.
While one arm of the north beach
head force forked down behind Port
Apra, another reached northeast to
threaten Guam's capital city of
Agana. Yanks slowly fought their
way up dominating hills where, Mr..
Henry said, Japs in caves had to
be mined out like hard coal
More than 100 miles north of
Guam at invaded Tinian, spot aerial
bombings and warship lombard
ments of rail and highway functions
split the islands Jap garrison into
north and south forces.
Marine conquerors of nearby Sal
pan, bidding for complete seizure of
partly occupied 4,500-foot Ushi Air
field on the northwest strip of Tin
ian, moved down the tank-led Japs
Japs Lack Reinforcements.
From a flagship off Tinian, Rich
Wy InI,rcfnr rpnrnSontino thu
combined Allied press, reported the
airfield defenders came out on the
first night of the invasion screaming
and waving Samurai swords in the
suicidal manner usually reserved for
the closing stages.
He interpreted this as meaning
those Japanese know they can get
no reinforcementS from the south
ern force and are cracking under a
war neurosis induced by more than
six weeks of artillery, naval and
aerial bombardments."
The marines attacking them suf-
fered heavy losses in the conquest
of Saipan and their ranks are filled
with requirements but Mr.. john
ston said the leathernecks showed
no evidence of lowered combat eff
ciency."
The Tinian invaders have made
swift progress but Mr.. Johnston
cautioned this docs not mean that
the battle was more than we'll
begun" inasmuch as the japanese
in the south have many cliff hide
outs
2,400 Japs Killed on Guam.
In official communique reports
on the twin Marianas operations,
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz said
2,400 japanese have been killed on
Guam through July 24-f1fth day
of that invasion-at a cost of 443
American dead, 1856 wounded and
200 missing.
On Tinian through July "a
second day of that invasion-l, ,324
japanese dead have been counted
against American casualties OF Is
dead and 225 wounded.
In the Southwest Pacific, Gen
Douglas Macarthur reported today
that a Liberator has destroyed a
japanese coastal vessel in the
Molucca Sea, 200 miles from the
Southern Philippines. 1t was the
second such report in three days.
He also reported that a trapped
japanese army bloodily beaten back
in more than a week of attempts to
break out west of Wewak, British
New Guinea, appeared to be trying
to reform his shattered units" five
miles inland on the Driniumor