Evening star., 1945-05-21
Marines Smash Jap Defenses,
Drive to Crest of Last Ridqe
Before Okinowo City Of Shuri
Tanks Clear Enemy
From Elaborate
Hillside Positions
Ey the Associated Press.

GUAM, May 21.-Troops of the
American 1st Marine Division
have driven to the crest of the
last ridge before the Okinawa
fortress city of Shuri in a tank
led drive through 800 yards of
ferociously defended ravines and
draws.
Elaborate Japanese hillside de-
lenses were cleared by flame-throw-
ing tanks and weary rif1emen as they
climbed the steep inclines until the
tanks could 60 no farther and the
battle turned into a hand-to- hand,
cave-by- cave struggle.
Shuri, lying below the hilltop po-
sition of the Marines, was a pile of
rubble from the incessant lombard
ment and bombing to which it has
been subjected.
1t. Col. J. G. Magee, jr, Washing
ton, D. c., commanded the I'd Bat
talon of the 1st Marine Regiment
which spearheaded the approach
toward Shuri The 1st Marine Regi-
ment is commanded by Col. A. T.
Mason, also of Washington.
Heavy Jap Mortar Fire.
1t. James Paulos, commander of
company which seized one ridge
overlooking the ancient capital of
Ryukyuan monarchs, told ASSociat-
ed Press Correspondent Vern Haug-
land his men had been subjected to
heavy mortar fire all the way up the
ridge.
Meanwhile, the 77th Infantry Di-
vision advanced doggedly to within
900 yards of Shuri on the northeast,
throwing back three counterattacks,
and elements of the Goth Infantry
Division moved within 1900 yards of
the city on the east.
The 9Th Marine Division sent ele-
ments eastward toward Shuri from
its positions in suburbs of Naha,
present capital of Okinawa.
Despite continued fierce Japanese
resistance, Maj. Gen. John R. Hodge
said there was some indication that
the Japanese are distintegrating as
an overall fighting unit"
Gen. Hodge told newsmen the
enemy was firing 1000 fewer artil-
lery and mortar shells night than
formerly.
Jap Efforts Futile.
1t. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, |
ir., in an address dedicating small /
radio station on Okinawa, told his |
10th Army troops that every Japa-
nese effort to bring aid to the
doomed and dwindling" enemy
garrison had met with disastrous
failure"
Nevertheless, an estimated 10000
Japanese survivors of Okinawa S
original garrison of 10000 or more
troops yielded only in death.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz re-
ported 48,103 japanese had been
killed on Okinawa through Thurs
day. He gave no prisoner figures.
American casualties were an
nounced as 30,526 Army, Navy and
Marine, including pre-invasion fleet
carrier attacks on the Ryukyus and
Japan. Yanks were killing ia
panese at the rate of II to one
American lost in ground fighting.
The Nimitz figures were 1882 SOL
diers and Marines killed and miss
ing; 1928 wounded. Added to
these wefe 3978 killed and missing
naval personnel; 1888 wounded.
1t. Paulos, who is from Tooele,
Utah, said Shuri had been reduced
to rubble and debris. All that
stands is the wall of an oriental
palace which rises above the city.
Enemy Commands Ridges.
Shuri. second largest city on Oki-
nawa, is not expected to fall easily,
however. japanese still command
ridges and hills from which they
can pour artillery and mortar fire
into it. One is Sugar Loaf Hill.
Sixth Division Marines captured its
crest four times, lost it as many,
and finally occupied the top the
fifth time they seized it.
The Japs, however, remained en-
trenched in the southern slopes.
from where their guns commanded
both Naha and Shuri. These guns
must be silenced before either Shuri
or Naha will be tenable for the
Yanks.
Because Of bad weather, there
was little enemy aerial activity.
Thunderbolts of the Army's 318th |
Fighter Group, veterans of the Mar
ianas and Two Jima campaigns. at
tackled targets in the Northern
Ryukyus and Navy bombers ranged
to Korea, sinking one medium and
two small freighters. They dam
aged a number of landing craft.
Navy bombers and Army Liber-
ators attacked the Kuriles.
Still mopping up in captured ter
ritory, Yanks killed 141 japanese
and made 167 prisoners in the Mar
ianas, Palaus and on Two Jima in
the week ended May IL.
Col. A. T. Mason, 532 Twen-
tieth street NV, has been in COM
mand of the 1st Marine Regiment