Evening star., 1944-07-23
, r
Americans / Win
Points Around
Key Guam Port
Two Joponese Attacks
Repulsed;; 875-Foot
Mountain Captured
By the Associated Press, !, |,

Il -
By the Associated Press.
PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUAR-
TIERS, Pearl Harbor,- July az
After repulsing two japanese
counterattacks, American forces
on Guam have. made satisfactory
progress and : secured key posi-
-tions around Port Apra, main
objective on the island, Admiral
Chester W. Nimitz said In a COM
munique today.
On the southern front, he said
American forces captured 875-foot
Mt. Alifan, overlooking Agat. The
town Is little more than miles
south Of the lower sweep Of the
harbor. -,..
In the north, the Americans Sc
cured control of q Smile read
stretch between Pitt and Agana
This Is part OF the highway lead
ing behind the harbor.
Northern forces also gained con-
troll Of Cabras Island, a Emile sand
spit 1t the harbor's northern
stretch. occupying half. of 1t.
fredawn Jap Attacks.
Troops of the Marine Sd Division
landed In the north and the lst
Provisional Marine Brigade stormed
ashore 1T the southern end. Ele-
ments Of the Army's 77th Infan-
try Division landed later. g.
Air naval and artillery lombard
ments aided the troops In hurting
back pre-dawn japanese counter
attacks on both beachheads which
were established first on either side
of Orote Peninsula, the land arm
encirchng the southern part OF Port
Apa.
n the north the Japanese d.
tee4ed mortar flre against the Yanks
the Mf1t night, after their, landing
Thsradhy. !rh& eotintAra astack ~
ginnink before dawn the next mcfn-
ing, w2S hurled back after sunup.
27e Japanese Killed.
When the japanese thrust ON the
southern beachhead early yesterday
Wis thrown back the enemy left
behind five tanks and approximately
270 dead. t.- tIt
The southern beachhead extends
from Aeat to- Bangi Point.
Brig. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd
jr., La Jolla, Calf, commands the
lst Provisional Marine Brigade
Maj. Gen. Allen n. Turnage OF
Whitewater, Va. heads the 3rd Ma
rines, and Army Maj. Gen. A. d
Bruce OF Temple, Tex, led the 77th
Division troops.
The provisional marine brigade
Is composed partly of veterans from
all Raider battalions participants
In the Solomons campaigns. They
gere commanded then by 1t. Col
Evans r. Carlson. Brig. Gen. tther
COLI Merritt Edison and Col. Harry
Liversedge. ... ..
1t was these marines who pitched
back the Japanese so quickly or
the southern flank that. they left
tanks and dead behind them.
Ahead Of Schedule.
The invasion Of the former West.
ern Pseif1c American naval base Il
ahead Of schedule. despite stiffeninf
resistance inland. Reinforcement.
are pouring ashore to join the Amer.
ican and Avenge the small Guam
garrison which fought SO heroically
but lost to, vastly superior Japanese
forces early in the war.
Supported by tanks and artillery
the Yanks ashore apparently ar,
maneuyering cut OF Port Apra
one Of the best ports m the Western
Pacific. The beachheads, news dis.
patcf1es Indicated, are between Ad.
lup Point and Asan. north Of tn.
port and between Agat and Bang
Point to the; south. A system ol
roads, and probably rail lines, curve
around the shore, line between the
heacflheads. 7: ::
Insthe surrounding sea AREA Amer