Evening star., 1944-09-15
japanese Put Up
Hard Fight East
OF Philippines
Defect Now Stores
Enemy in Face, Says
Gen. Macarthur
/Mnn nm pn0p A.1ej
MAP on Page A-16.)
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
American amphibious forces
closed in on the Philippines to-
day, simultaneously invading the
stepping stone islands of Palau
and Morotai in the wake of a
terrific air bombardment of the
Philippines which knocked out
sol japanese planes and 173
surface craft.
The biggest guns of the United
States Navy shelled Palau, reef
protected island fortress 900 miles
east of the Philippines, as marines
and soldiers charged ashore in the
face Of fierce Japanese resistance.
Only 10 japanese were on the
beach of Morotai, 300 miles south OF
the Philippines, and they were cap
tured as barges made a surprise
landing while Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur watched from q cruiser.
Asserts Japs Face Defeat.
Defeat now stares Japan in the
face" Gen. Macarthur said as the
two-way campaign to take him back
to the Philippines was entering
upon its decisive stage
Assault troops hacked out beach
heads In the Palau Islands, might
lest enemy stronghold invaded in
the Pacific war, under cover Of q
laundering air and naval barrage
from Admiral william F.. HalSey's
Sd Fleet.
Landings are continuing against
stiff ground opposition" said Ad-
miral Chester w. Nimitz's brief an
nouncement of the invasion.
He did not say which of the 100
Palau islands were hit, but Tokyo
radio reported the Americans landed
on Peleliu. The low-lying island Is
at the southern end Of the chain,
within artillery range of others,
and less protected by reefs than the
rest Of the group.
Japs Claim Repulse.
Tokyo claimed $500 Americans
were killed in the first 2lz hours
and the enemy was repulsed."
William Ewing, representing the
combined American radio networks,
said in a broadcast from the Palau
battle area today the Marines estab-
lished a beachhead on Pepelin in
hard fighting. He said thick woods
shielded the Japs from the prein-
vasion bombardment.
CHS recorded the broadcast. parts
of which were distorted by atmos-
pheric conditions.
Tonight" Mr.. Ewing said, "the
Marines have established beach
head along the southern rim of the
island. They must realize, as We all
do, that this is going to be a tough
campaign. The Japs are fighting
hard and they are strongly en-
trenched."
Japs Held Fire.
The Japanese dug in and held
their fire, against the approaching
Yanks, he said, until the landing
craft were almost on the beach.
Admiral Nimitz's communique, is
sued nine hours after the landing,
made no mention of casualties and
exuded quiet confidence of the out
come. American commanders want
to convert the islands from a jap
anese naval and air base to an ad-
vance base for Pacific forces, more
than $500 miles from Pearl Harbor.
Morotai, too, will soon be con-
verted into an air and light naval
base, Gen. Macarthur said after
following his assault troops ashore.
'The enemy, as usual,' he said
was not in the right places at the
right time" The Japanese expected
landing on nearby Halmahera
Island, where they concentrated
their forces.
First Isolation Step.
Breaking this Nipponese defense
line, Gen. Macarthur said, was the
first step in isolating 100000 jap
anese constituting two armies oc-
cupying the rich Netherlands Indies.
Morotai's invaders swiftly estab-
lished two beachheads in the vicinity
of the village of Doreba, which is
about a mile from an unused Japa-
nese airdrome.
No planes or warships were lost
while supplying a fiery cover for the
Morotai landings and Yank ground
losses were reported light as the in
vaders pushed inland across the
Kunai and jungle-covered fats.
Conquest of Palau will completely
cut of the 2,000-mile long Caroline
Island chain, which has been
bombed from end to end, and leave
it's large garrisons, including Truk,
faced by the prospects of surrender
(See PALAU, Page A-15)