Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-11-19

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troops, Selling Skolpje, have paved
the way for an advance through the
Vardar Valley to put the pressure
on the Hungarians from the south
During the week there were re-
ports of incipient revolt in Austria
| against the NaZis and guerrillas
operating in the mountains, were
said to be attacking isolated units
Of the Nazis. The spirit of resist
ance was believed gaining strength
Over in the Pacific, if Tokyo may
be believed, American forces are
about to quit the Philippine cam
paign, Admiral Suetsugu, former
commander in chief of the, in part
former japanese fleet, declared the
supply problem will force the Amer
leans shortly to withdraw.
Gen. Macarthur, who may have
more intimate knowledge of Amer
lean plans. continued to smash the
enemy on Leyte Island in the mid
Philippines, and all further efforts of
the enemy to reinforce the island
have been halted.
Capture Vital Peak.
On Monday, part of the Amer
lean oath Division captured 1900
foot peak dominating the ap-
proaches to Ormoc, last main port
of Leyte in the hands of the enemy.
Ormoc. itself, was heavily bombed
and there remained little but
smoking ruins of the city. During
the night, Monday, observers on
colorfully named Breakneck Ridge
spotted large numbers of japanese
reinforcements moving into the
town of Limon on the Ormoc high
way and artillery was moved up
during the night to turn the town
into shambles the following day.
BY the end of the week, American
forces were pushing slowly toward
Ormoc from three sides and the
losses to the enemy were increas-
ingly numerous.
In two actions during the week,
the Americans occupied Mapia
Island, $50 miles north of Western
New Guinea to remove a listening
post held by the enemy. In a
similar move, the Japs put 200 men
ashore on Ngeregong, small island
8 miles northwest of American-held
Peleliu in the Palau Islands.
Sunday two heavy raids occurred
on Manila, Tokyo reporting that
400 planes took part in each. Ad-
miral Nimitz, in later announce
ment, said that IA ships including
three small warships had been sunk
or badly damaged, a floating dry
dock was sunk and at least % enemy
planes wiped out. Numerous docks
in Manila Bay and at the Cavite
Navy Yard were torn up by the
bombers and at least three air fields
were strafed.
During the week. also Two in the
Volcano Archipelago, $50 miles from
Tokyo, was bombed as were some of
the BONN Islands, 100 miles nearer
the japanese capital. Pagan Island
in the Marianas and Makassar in
the Celebes also were hit.
Details of Big Battle.
Winding up the week, the an
nouncement by the Navy Depart
ment of the full details of the o.
tober naval action in the Philippines
gave rise to the belief that further
landings in the Philippines might
be attempted. The official summary
of the naval battle gave the names
OF the American ships lost, the
light carrier Princeton, the escort
carriers st. 10 and Gambler Bay,
the destroyers johnson and Hoel
and the destroyer escort Samuel B.
Roberts. Damage to other ships
not named was admitted.
Against this small American loss,
the enemy suffered, according to the
summary, the definite loss of 2 bat
tleships, 4 carriers, 6 heavy cruisers,
2 light cruisers and numerous de-
stroyers known to be sunk: so badly
damaged that they may have sunk,
l battleship, heavy cruisers, l
light cruiser and 7 destroyers; and
6 battleships, heavy cruisers, l
light cruiser and 10 destroyers dam
aged.
For the entire campaign, which
began on October 9 and lasted
through the big October 1927 bat
tie, the Japs lost between lis and
lbs ships of all categories sunk, Sc
probably sunk or heavily damaged,
81 damaged and 600 planes de-
stroyed.
These accomplishments make fur
ther landings appear logical at this
time.
In China the Japanese forces of
the north and south appear about
to make a junction and thus pave
the way for an overland line of COM
munication to the Malay Peninsula,
which may be of help in moving
supplies to the home islands, which
now are in great jeopardy because
Of American sea and air DONNA
ton.
The map above and the story on
Page CT will reveal some of the
background of the nrnsent situot jor