Evening star., 1945-06-11
Air, Sea Power
Help yanks in
0kinawa Drive
10th Army Smoshes
Ahead in Face of
Fierce Jap Fire
By the Associated Press.

81 inc hssOCidteu fIeSS'
GUAM, June 1.-THE Ameri
can 10th Army, capitalizing OF
gains achieved in a Surprls'
frontal assault, today smashed
head-on at the heavily fortified
Yaeju-Dake escarpment OF
Southern Okinawa despite heav.
japanese artillery, mortar ant
machine-gun fire.
The Japs who for weeks prevented
smashing of the oW-shatteree
Shuri defense line by their mos
effective use of field guns anywhere
In the Pacific, were firing IS ane
los nm. shells into charging YankE
at almost point blank range.
Lit. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner
tr.,, commander of the 10th Army
replied with virtually every weapon
at his command. Flame-throWlng
tanks led some of the grouno
charges. Aircraft swooped low, rock.
citing and strafing. Bombers tried tt
knock out well-protected gun posi-
tions.
Battleships Shell Positions.
Offshore, battleships lobbed theil
big 14-inch shells into the japanese
positions and cruisers and destroy
ers supported the troops with their
8 and 5 inch guns.
Maj. Gen. James L. Bradley's 96th
Infantry Division. spearheading the
frontal assault, gained 300 to 1,00C
yards yesterday in the face of heavy
Jap fire Forward elements of the
New York division succeeded in
scaling some of the SteepeSt slopes
The nature of the terrain-Yanks
counted so caves in one small sector
was all to the advantage of the
dug-in japanese, whose positions
were difficult to spot even from low
flying observation planes, and even
more difficult to knock out with
bombs or shells.
The escarpment is a natural for
tress, stretching across the island at
least 3 miles.
Return to Hidden Positions.
The japanese had prepared it well
as a secondary defense to which to
retire when driven from the Shuri
line. They tunneled the escarp-
ment to augment the caves for their
burrowing tactics.
They retired to their hidden posi-
tions when ships, field artillery and
aircraft laid down their barrages,
but returned to train their guns on
advancing American ground troops
as soon as the bombardment ceased.
The Japs launched two major
eounterattacks against Maj. Gen.
Archibald V. Arnold's 7th Division
infantrymen in the Hanagusuku
sector at the eastern end of the
Yaeju-Dake line-but failed to halt
the attack. Gen. Arnolds dough-
boys repulsed these and numerous
smaller counterattacks in SO hours
of furious fighting as they smashed
at the eastern hinge of the line.
Move Through Itoman.
On the western end of the escarp.
lnent. Maj. Gen. Pedro A. del Vale:
lst Division Marines moved through
the town of Itoman and attacked
important japanese positions or
Kunishi Ridge They also seized
hill near the town of Yuza, mile'
inland.
Amphibious tractors armed witt
75-mm. guns supported Gen. de
Valle's Marines, all of whom have
shifted to the southern line, leaving
the 9Th Marine Division to wipe ou
japanese remaining on Orokl
Peninsula.
Mai. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd!
9Th Division Marines made gooe
progress, reporting gains up to 1,0o(
yards as they pushed southeas
down the peninsula.
All American ground forces were
prepared for the possibility o.
banzai charges, the usual Japanese
death-stand reply to crushing
American force.
Mai. Gen. John r. Hodge, com.
mander of the oath Army Corps
told Associated Press Correspondent
AL Dopking the banzai charges vii
come when we compress the Jap
until they explode"
Jap Areas Reduced.
The enemy presumably is com
pressed almost to that point. He
confined to some Is square mile
on Okinawa's southern tip and four
fifths of his original garrison o
$4,000 has been wiped out.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz an
nounced that 67,7o3 japanese hae
been killed through Friday.
Although Admiral NimitZ has no
announced capture of this town o
Itoman, there were indications tn,
japanese have been driven from
some sections there.
Associated Press Correspondent
Vern Haugland told of riding
through a northeastern suburb O.
Itoman and seeing Marines taking
showers in an outdoor bath. Ad.
miral Nimitz said elements of the
1st Marine Division advanced
through the town. This division!
7th Regiment got pleasant surprise
when the enemy parachuted dem
clifton supplies, intended for tn,
Yaeju-Dake defense, behind Ma
rine lines.
Rapid Advances Made.
The explosives, caps and fuse
were welcomed by Maj. Louis 6
'Ditta, I'd Battalion executive officer
because we were short of demoli
te1|material ourselves"
D1Gs outfit had moved so rapid,
1t was difficult to keep supplied
Over the week end, the Japanes
continued Kamikaze raids on Amer
ican naval forces, they sank on
light feet unit-a destroyer o
smaller-but lost Is planes.
One additional man from the
District area has been re-
ported killed in this iDdr. See
"On the Honor RoH,' Page Az.