Evening star., 1944-12-20
Yanks Capture'Town,
Undamaged AirfieId
In Leyte Advance
Jops' Headquarters
Seized; Successes on
Mindoro Continue
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
GEN. MacARTHUR'S HEAD
QUARTERS, Philippines, Dec. 20.
|-Converging Yanks after seiz-
ing the japanese headquarters
town of Valencia, together with
an airfeld intact, drove forward
north and south today In an
effort to tighten a moose about
the largest organized enemy
force still fighting on West Leyte
Island.
Seizure of Valencia, miles north
of the strategic American held port
of Ormoc, was disclosed by Gen.
Macarthur as the 77th Division
smashed into the city, the 1st Cav
airy swung in f1anking drive from
the direction of Carigara Bay and
captured Lonoy, 6 miles north of
Valencia.
In SO doing, they cut behind a
strong japanese force already
pinned down by the American 32d
Division, and thus the enemy troops,
of unestimated number, were
trapped between the two divisions.
The 77th Division already has
placed the Valencia airfield in use,
and it is providing another base for
American planes which have been
continually harassing japanese
shipping and supply columns In
their campaign of attrition.
After capturing Valencia the 77th
pressed northward, and Gen. Mac
Arthur said it was rolling up rem
nants of the once-powerful Yama-
shita line which has been cut to bits
by the Americans in the last few
days of sanguinary fighting.
| japanese casualties continue high,
Gen. Macarthur reporting that an
additional 1,484 enemy dead were
found abandoned Monday. Twenty
two japanese were captured.
Valencia was the headquarters of
Gen. Sosaki Suzuki, directing Jap
anese operations on Leyte. There
was no indication where he and his
staff had fled; perhaps to Palompon
on Leyte's west coast, the only port
now remaining in japanese hands.
Jap Headquarters Taken.
Richard Bergholz, Associated Press
correspondent, reported that an ele-
ment of American Warhawk fighter
planes caught q japanese truck
convoy in the mountains east of
Palompon Sunday, destroyed every
vehicle and turned the road into a
river of fire as macninegun slugs
touched off first an explosives truck
and then two gasoline trucks.
The new successes give American
forces most of the vital Ormoc Cor
ridor road from Ormoc port to Va
lencia, although there are still iso-
lated pockets of japanese remaining
to be disposed of. The Yamashita
Line has been annihilated south of
Ormoc and cut into segments to the
north. The Japanese 26th Division
was shattered in the south, and now
the 35th is facing the same treat
ment in the north.
American troops continued to
operate without ground interference
on Mindoro, northwest of Leyte,
which they invaded last Friday
Gen. Macarthur reported that 13
Japanese planes attacking American
positions on Mindoro were shot
down. with the loss of one fighter.
American fighters and bombers
continued their sweeps, and in a
series of actions accounted for AZ
enemy ships. One Japanese freight
Ter was sunk and five damaged
Three enemy barges were destroyed.
Americans continued their air as
saults on Japanese airdromes and
supply and ammunition .depots in
the Visayas. Luzon, Mindanao, Bor-
neo and elsewhere, dropping more
than 800 tons Of bombs In the COM
bined operations.