Evening star., 1944-08-02
u. 5. Landing on Roia
Reported BY laps IS
1inian Is Conquered
~ the Assoeistsd pres..

~ the Associatsd Press.
A Reuters dispatch from Mel
bourne quoted the Tokyo radio
today a. saying American troops
had landed on Rota Island, be-
tweer Tinian and Guam, In the
Marianas.
The broadcast was heard by 4
government listening post, the Mel
bourne dispatch said.
Yesterday . Japanese imperial
communique broadcast by the Tokyo
radio said Japanese forces on Rota
had prevented enemy landings by
yaliantly fighting under fierce artil-
lery fire.'
Todays broadcast, Reuters said,
also announced the death OF six
Japanese admiras, five on active
service.
Tinian Conquest Completed.
Meanwhile, Admiral Chester w.
Nimitz announced the conquest Of
Tinian had been completed.
The nine-day campaign was
shortened by use Of a dea.h-dealing
secret weapon on the $500 japanese
defenders.
On Guam, marines and soldiers
who already have won its best har-
Dor and airfield pushed north on
the 18th day Of invasion against
10 900 doomed Japanese being whit
tied down by bombs and rockets of
carrier planes.
The Marianas operation was NOV
ing SO fast that Admiral Nimitz Ms
sued three communicates yesterday
All organized resistance ended
Monday night on Tinian. where the
marines seized two japanese air.
fields in their dash down its 12-mile
length and won flatlands ideal for
other air bases within B-29 bombing
range of Japan. The leathernecks
were mopping up the Japanese rem
nants in caves and along a narrow
beach at Marpo Point on the south
tip.
Cleanup Of Guam Pushed.
On Guam, whose more valuable
southern half Is in American hands.
the preparatory stages for a north
ern cleanup were dealt japanese
troop concentrations Yank ground
forces Strengthened their line across
the island north of the capital city
Of Agana with gains of a half mile
to miles, which overran four small
towns.
The front line. as reported
through Monday, runs from a mile
north Of Agana on the west coast
to within less than 4 mile OF Fadian
Point on the east shore
Admiral Nimitz said the I'd and
4th Division Marines on Tinian at
tanned the south shore after cutting
to pieces counterattacking japanese
Sunday night. during which 800
were slain.
The total ground losses of the
Japanese on Saipan, Tinian and
Guam already exceeds 10000.
In the Southwest Pacific Ameri-
cans of the 9Th Army expanded
their landings on Vogelkop Penin-
sula, Dutch New Guinea, and at
tackled 5000 py-passed japanese
100 miles to the east.
Americans Join Beachheads.
The Yanks landed at dawn Mon
day on both sides of a japanese
barge base, 10 miles beyond the
Sansapor beachhead. established "a
hours earlier. Expected opposition
failed to develop.
BY noon the Americans had linked
the beachheads to gain undisputed
control OF 10 miles of the coast, 200
miles beyond the former front-line
base on Noemfoor Island and only
some 600 miles short of the Philip
pines.
East Of Aitape, in British New
Guinea. several American battal-
ions crossed the Driniumor River to
attack Japanese 18th Army units
trapped in the 130- mile long Wewak
sector since last April They counted
400 additional enemy dead.
Allied bombers sank a 5000 ton
Japanese freighter OH Amboina
Monday and q 1,000-ton freighter
and two coastal vessels of Halma
hera Saturday.
These successes brought the total