Evening star., 1945-04-09
Japs Recapture
0kinawa Hi||in
Bayonet Charge
Counteruttuck First
Made by Foe; Heavy
Artillery DueIing
Py the Associated Press.

GUAM, April 9. - japanese,
charging with fixed bayonets in
their first counterattack of the
OklnaWan campaign, drove
American troops off a dominating
hill as tank supported Yank in
fantrymen hammered at strongly
defended caves and pillboxes be-
meath developing artillery
battle.
japanese poured out of caves and
crags on Southern Okinawa when
japanese tanks, artillery and NOR
tars began blasting at five American
tanks numbering through a field
studded with 500-pound bombs
which had been converted into land
mines. The japanese ShoWered the
tanks with Molotov cocktails and
then charged Red Hill.
Three American tanks were lost.
The Sd Battalion of the 184th Regi-
ment withdrew from the hill Am
orleans reformed last night, expect
ing strong opposition in their at
tempt to retake the hill
Round -the-ClOck Duel.
japanese were strongly dug into
crdgs. hills, ravines and caves on
Southern OkinaWa. 325 miles from
Japan. Behind them was the larg-
est concentration of artillery en-
countered in the Pacific campaign,
with heavier guns than they've used
heretofore. These batteries kept up
swelling, round-the-clock duel
with superior United States artillery.
Lightly opposed Marines were
swarming through Northern Oki-
nawa, cutting off Motobu Peninsula
with its former enemy submarine
and torpedo base at Unten.
Ground resistance was about all
Japan had to offer in the way of a
defense It's mighty As ,000-ton super
battleship Yamato and five lesser
warships were sunk Saturday in
suicidal attempt to come to the in
fantry's rescue. In ALL $50 enemy
warplaneS were destroyed or dam
aged in thrusts at the Pacific Fleet.
at the Okinawa invasion force or at
Mustang escorted B-29s which
raided Tokyo and Nagoya.
Immediately north of Okinawas
capital city of Naha, on a line
stretching almost directly east across
the island. the japanese began their
defense from well-prepared, heavily
fortified positions.
Maj Gen. John r. Hodges oath
Army Corps troops which had been
expecting the japanese to stiffen
daily since the Easter Sunday in
vasion, were held to gains of only
200 to 400 yards as the enemy opened
up Saturday with heavy artillery
and continued firing day and night
In savage fighting the infantry
men gained 400 yards yesterday in
their push toward the Yonabaru
airfeld, on the east coast in the
center of NakagaSuku Bay. They
were within about a mile of Yona-
baru
On the west coast, other infantry
men captured two villages Saturday.
then we're held to a 200-yard ad-
vance Sunday. These troops were
about miles north of Machinato
airfield and about miles from
Naha.
The japanese stand on the Naha-
Yonabaru line clearly shows that
the bulk of Okinawa's s garrison. es-
timated at more than 10000 troops,
had been withdrawn into the south
ern section of the island before the
oath Corps and Marine Sd Amphib-
lous Corps went ashore There are
about IS square miles of rough ter
rain south of the Naha-Y -Yonabaru
line and the enemy is expected to
convert all of this into a battle
ground.
Terrain FavOrs Defense.
Doughboys pushing through the
heavy artillery fire still had to fight
their way over the rough terrain
we'll suited for defense and against
enemy troops protected by strategi-
cally placed blockhouses and pill
boxes. Tanks, flame throwers and
bazookas were thrown into the bat
tie. The terrain IS hilly and cave
pocked and Japanese have defended
it with many land mines
(The Tokyo radio asserted to-
day that since the American in
(See OKINAWA, Page A-14D