The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-20

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 The landing force went a mile inland on Pegun without firing a shot, a spokesman said. Then 13 Japanese suddenly appeared and committed suicide with grehades a few yards in advance of the Amer jeans without even attempting re- sistance.
 The Americans moved to Bras Island, also in the Mapias, next day and, though resistance was stiffer, occupation was completed within a couple of days. Natives told the landing party that the Japanese had taken away three white women soon after they seized the island. One of the women was an American, the wife of copra trader, and the other two were British.
 The American landings in the Mapias and Asias deprived the Jap- anese of warning stations from which they have been alerting their forces in the Halmaheras, the Phil ippines and the Dutch East Indies of the approach of American bomb CTS and transport planes from New Guinea.
 The supplement to MacArthur's communique said occupation of the "entire Mapia group of islands" had been completed.
 On Leyte, the Japanese moved up additional tanks and artillery for new attempts to break through the American road block south of Limon to relieve their trapped forces. One counter-attack Friday was repulSed 'bloodily" after 8 three-hour battle.
 While clements of the 24th and 1st cavalry divisions beat off enemy counter-attacks south of Limon, the 32nd division struck deeper into the center of the pocket in fighting frontal advance down the Limon- Ormoc highway.
 Torrential rains continued to slow the American offensive aimed at the sea and air base fOrmoc, 20 miles south of Limon.
 (Radio Tokyo claimed the 32nd division had been pinned against the north coast of Leyte and complete ly isolated" The battle on Leyte was decisive for the Pacific war and was reaching it's climax, Tokyo said, adding that: Upon the result hinges domination not only of the Philip pines, but far into surrounding spheres.")
 American motor torpedo boats blockading Ormoc sank two enemy torpedo boats, four barges and a coastal vessel attempting to run ln endorsements and supplies. Leyte- based fighters sank five more barges and a coasta lfreighter.
 Japanese air activity was limited to minor raids on American ground installations, during which six to nine enemy aircrafE were shot down.
 Macarthur listed Japanese ground casualties in the first month of the Leyte campaign Jas 45,000, including 10000 killed or Wounded in the past week alone. A spokesman said 5000 additional troops had been wiped out in an abortive attempt to land endorsements at Ormoc Nov. 10.
 American casualties, Macarthur said, were 1,133 men killed, 126 miss ing and 4,432 wounded for grand total of 5,691--approximately one tenth of those of the enemy.
 Macarthur attributed the dispari- ty in the Japanese and American casualties to the fact that American lcng-range artillery had been man. euvered so as to bring the entire Yamashita line under fire without possibility of retaliation" and to the constan tby-pasing and envelopment of the enemy from the rear.
 Practically" he said, "the enemy has been constantly surprised by these methods, which have resulted not only in success, but in the min- imum possible loss of life"