Evening star., 1944-10-29
War Review
Japs Suffer Critical
Losses at Sea
Bv Homard p. Bailey

BY H0tcard p. Bailey.
The Japanese fleet, no Longer
able to ignore the challenge o1
American advance which had car
ried into the heart of the Philip
pines last week, gambled almost its
entire strength in a three-way as
sault which was met and crushed
by the American Sd and 7th Fleets
under Admiral Halsey and Vice Ad-
miral Kincaid.
The full extent of the Japanese
disaster Is not known, but that tn,
enemy has been reduced to no better
than half the naval strength prior
to the series of battles is claimed by
Admiral King.
For a brief time, the fate of the
thousands of Americans ashore on
Leyte Island was at stake. Two
Japanese fleets converged on Leyte
Bay from the west, possibly coming
from the base at Shanghai. Run
ming the risk of being caught in mar
row straits leading eastward from
the Sulu Sea, the Japs moved for
ward in force Tuesday, hoping per-
haps to repeat the Savo Island sur
prise by catching our naval forces
and transports in Leyte Bay off
guard. However, the Japs were OBJ
served by an American submarine,
which flashed the warning.
Units of the 7th Fleet were de-
ployed to meet these two japanese
task forces. Rear Admiral Olden-
dorf, in command of a battleship
division in the fleet, placed his forces
SO that destroyers and PIT boats
guarded the flanks near the mouth
of the 12-mile-wide strait, with the
battlewagons in the center out in
the bay. The Japs, unaware of the
trap, moved forward until about 3 80
am, when the light craft dashed in
Tor torpedo attacks, getting a num-
Der home. The Japs attempted to
turn and then the big guns opened
up, first salvos landing square aboard
the targets. For 40 minutes surface
ships exchanged broadsides with
everything from 5-inch to 16-inch
rifles hitting at the enemy. When it
was over, Admiral Oldendorf de-
clared that he had no evidence that
a single Jap ship escaped.
Third Force Caught,
In this particular Japanese task
force were believed to be three jap
aneSe battleShipS, five cruisers and
six to eight destroyers. AS the action
all took place during the night, the
actual toll cannot be definitely
fixed.
The second task force of the
enemy which was caught in San
Bernardino Strait, contained bat
tleships also and the toll was fixed
at one heavy cruiser and one other
cruiser sunk, four battleships. one
destroyer and three cruisers dam
aged.
In the meantime, moving down
from Formosa, was third Jap force
containing aircraft carriers which
was intercepted by Admiral Halsey's
3D. Fleet, severely punished and put
to flight. In this action, the Japs lost
a large carrier, light carrier and
two light cruisers sunk, two battle
ships and one large cruiser probably
sunk and two battleships, three
cruisers and a number of destroyers
damaged.
Carriers detached from the Sd
Fleet and sent racing south aided
Kinkaid's units in the San Bernar-
dino Strait engagement.
The reports of the entire battle.
the most extensive of the war and
the most crippling to the enemy are
still somewhat confused but a re-
capitulation yesterday listed Jap
losses as one battleship sunk, four
probably (two almost certainly
sunk, and six damaged; one large
and one light carrier sunk and one
large carrier probably sunk; four
cruisers sunk, five cruisers probably
sunk and six cruisers damaged, six
to eight destroyers sunk and nu-
merous others damaged. The grand
total OF estimated enemy naval craft
sunk or damaged was set at Al. The
full story remains to be told.
U. S. Losses Relatively Low.
On the American side there were
losses also, but trivial compared to
those suffered by the enemy.
The Navy announced by name
the loss of the light carrier Prince
ton and added two escort carriers
two destroyers, one destroyer escort
and number of PIT boats. In ad-
dltion a number of other ships in
cluding carriers were damaged.
In the land fighting, Gen. Mac
Arthur's headquarters announced
that japanese dead on Leyte now
have exceeded $4,000, largely among
the members of the Infamous 10th
Division whose ill-repute stems
from the brutality toward the sur
vivors Of Bataan. American losses
so far are 518 dead, 139 missing and
1903 wounded. American hold on
the island has extended along 70
miles of the beach and has pene-
trated as much as IA miles inland
A large number of the enemy are
believed sealed in Leyte Valley and
are doomed.
Moving across narrow strait to
Samar Island, whose northern shore
lies only Is miles from the southern
shore Of Luzon, MacArthurs forces
have already gained complete con-
troll Of the island. The airfields on
Leyte have been restored to service
and in fact provided a base for some
Of the planes from the carriers sunk
during the naval battle in the bay
and Its approaches.
just as another notice to the Japs
that the war is coming home a
heavy flight OF B-29 Super For
tresses blasted Kyushu Island in
the main japanese group on
Wednesday and the Kuriles had
another raid.
The war in the Pacific last week
was moved many months nearer its
conclusion.
Progress in Holland.
Germany also found itself under
increasing pressure as from at least
three directions the war moved into
or toward the homeland.
British troops, seeking to entrar
the German 18th Army now occu.