Evening star., 1944-07-13
Guam Attacked Agar
As Mop-up Of Japs
On 5aipan Continues
1908 U. S. Casualties
Suffered; 10000 Of Foe
Killed, 10000 Captured
BY the Associated Press.

American forces on Saipan
Western Pacific island whose
capture has cost them a record
of 1903 casualties, today probed
concealed japanese caves and
.ravines for additions which are
expected to'sWell both the total
of nearly 10000 enemy dead
counted so far and the more than
10000 captives.
AS the Yanks pressed their mop
ping-up operations sustained Amer
ican air and naval blows focused at
tention on Guam, southwest Of Sal
pan.
Already the enemy air force at
Guam and on intervening Rota ap-
pears to have been knocked out by
the same type of pounding loosed on
Saipan prior to its invasion June IA.
Guam has been bombed daily for
nearly a week and internationally
shelled by Warships.
A marine regiment killed more
than 700 japanese Monday in one
mopping-up action on Saipan.
Figures Announced.
Figures for both sides established
new records for fierce fighting
among the PacificS islands:
l. The 1903 American casualties
including 1859 killed, II ,48l wound
ed and 1918 missing.
2 The japanese dead-11 ,948 al
ready buried by American troops
with many more to be accounted for
One heavily strafed ravine alone is
believed to hold 1000 Jap bodies.
3. The japanese aptives-more
than 1000 soldier prisoners of war;
more than 5000 interned civilians
The American casualties were an
nounced in Washington yesterday
by Secretary of the Navy Forrestal
at a press conference.
Walter S. Delaney. assistant chief
of staff for readiness, who recently
visited the Pacific battle area, said
This is an example of what we
can expect. The going is going to
get tougher because We are up
against the enemy's inner circle of
defenses and up against great land
masses"
Prize of First Magnitude.
Mr.. Forrestal estimated that 95
per cent of Japan's Saipan garrison
of more than 10000 died defending
the island, which has been de-
veloped as one of their most strong
ly fortified bases in the Pacific
He supported his assessment OF
Saipan as prize of the first mag
nitude" by pointing out Japan ex-
pended more than 1000 planes dur
| ing the campaign and also sustained
naval defeat in efforts to hold it
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, in
reporting carrier plane raids Mon
day on Guam and Rota, disclosed
at Pearl Harbor that the enemy air
bases there have been so effectively
smothered that no fighter opposition
was encountered. although bomber
was shot down over Rota.
The raiders fired rockets into
military installations along the west
shore of Guam, first United States
territory to fall into Japanese hands
at the outset of the war, and cratered
Rota's runWays.
Admiral Nimitz also announced q
50-ton bombing of Truk Monday by
Army Liberators from the Marshalls
concentrating on naval base at
that by-passed enemy stronghold in
the Central CarolineS.
Commanders Disclosed.
1t. Gen. A. A. Vandegrift, Marine
Corps commandant, who attended
Mr.. Forrestal's conference, revealed
that the commanding officers in the
Saipan campaign were four veteran
generals who have slugged it out
with the Japanese in earlier battles
of this war.
The commanders are: 1t. Gen
Holland Smith of the marines, COM
manding ground forces; Maj. Gen
George w. Griner, jr., commanding
the 9th Army division; Mai. Gen
Harry Schmidt, commanding the 4th
Marine division. and Mai. Gen
Thomas E. Watson. commanding
the I'd Marine division.