The Wilmington morning star., 1944-11-12
-four TRANSPORTS.
DESTR0YERS- SUNK
Only Remnants OF Esti-
mated 5000 Army
Troops Reach Shore

GENERAL M'ARTHUR'S
HEADQUARTERS, PHILIP
PINES, Sunday, Nov. IL. -
planes of the U.
). Third fleet destroyed an
entire japanese convoy OF
four transports and six de-
stroyers in Orfnoc bay today.
smashing the second Nippon
csc attempt in three days to
reinforce their Leyte island
Only remnants of an esti-
mated 5000 fresh enemy
troops reached shore, after a
slashing dawn battle.
CReporting the same action from
Pearl Harbor, Adm. Chester w.
Nimitz disclosed that the attack
ing Navy Hellcats, Avengers and
divebombers shot down 10 N;opo
nese planes Governing t h ships
and perhaps bagged five more)
CA two-engined enemy recon.
Nuisance plane and a divebomber
were shot down near the third fleet
carriers. Seven Navy planes were
lost but most of the pilots and
crewmen were belived to have
been rescured.)
Heavy Losses
The Japanese lost Is destroyers
and seven transports, plus thou.
sands of men, in their attempts
today and last Thursday and Fir.
day to land endorsements.
Gen. Tonoyuki Yamashita, the
new Japanese commander, has
Chosen western Leyte as main
battle-ground for his supreme eff
fort to crush our liberating for
oes,'' Gen. Douglas Macarthur
said in today's communique.
He said Japan's conqueror OF
Malaga is attempting to land usf-
fjcient forces to break out of the
"Yamashita line," the American
encircled area around Ormoc, last
japanese stronghold on Leyte.
Make Gains
American ground forces made
new gains across the rugged ter
rain south of Carigara bay, as the
Yank airrnen smashed the latest
effort some 20 miles
southwark.
The naval airmen, attacking in
force, caught the japanese convoy
as it slipped into Ormoc bay under
cover of early morning darkness.
Cleft Erickson, Associated Press
war correspondent at Pearl Har-
Dor said ''the report of the convoy
destruction disclosses h t Third
fleet carrier forces again have UNI
dertaken direct support of MacAr-
thurs ground operations on Leyte.
Composed by the Third fleet
plane power, the Japanese att
tempts to throw more troops into
the defense of Leyte should be-
come increasingly difficulty
Yesterdays ount of the
attacks on the
earlier convoy underlined the fact
that MacArthur's land-based K
arm still is somewhat limited on
Leyte. He had to call on bombers
from rear bases to help in the
assault.
1t was Third and Seventh fleet
airpower which covered MacAr-
thur in his landings on Leyte Oct.
20 and later dealt some of the
big blows which crushed the Japa-
nese fleet in the second naval bat.
tie of the Philippines sea.
Modifies Report
(Nimitz' report of the convoy At.
tack listed the same number OF
transports, six Destroy
ers-but wnerets Macarthur said
ali were sunk, .NimitZ said the four
and three destroyers
we're seen to sink" two other
sestroyers were though to have
sunk" and the sixth was listed az
damaged.
Elements of the 1st cavalry die
vision, pushing over rough terrain,
we're fighting eight miles south Of
-arigara, while the oath division
vas maintaining steady pressure
against stubbornly fighting Japa-
lese on the Ormoc road.
While the, Japanese convoy was
being slashed, ether planes attack
I'd additional enemy shipping in
he .Visayan area. Full reports,
however, have not been received.
simultaneously, army fighter
planes assaulted enemy installa.
ions in the Omoc sector, shooting
Town 10 japanese aircraft with
only minor loss" the statement
aid.
1.-THE new japanese commander
r the Philippines, General Yama.
hita, is using every endeavor to
,uild up a prepared line Of de-