The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-31
Jap Defenses
On Isle Held
Failing Fast
Capital City Of Large
Philippines Island Is
Menaced

MANILA, Saturday, March 81
P)-Negros, last big Philippine is.
land in Japanese hands. was in.
vaded Thursday by veteran 4Oth
U. S. Infantry Division Yanks who
seized an airfield, speared col.
unns II and IA miles inland anc
quickly menaced Bacolod, capita.
city of more than $4,000 popula
ton.
The landing on the west coast o.
the central Philippines island
which has a area of more thar
5000 square miles, was disclosed
today by Gen. Douglas Macarthur
who said Nipponese defenses
throughout the heart of the archi
pelago are rapidly collapsing."
Brushing aside enemy resistance
at the beachhead near Raqo. one
Doughboy column raced IA miles
northeast, overran the Bacolod air
strip and neared the outskirts Of
the capital city.
A second Yank column struck
south II miles, seized Ponte We.
dra, pushed inland along the Ba.
DO river, secured Santa Anciets
and contracted guerrilla forces.
Doughboys of the 10th made the
invasion from little Guimaras is.
land, between American-controlleo
Panay and Negros. They SWEET
across Guimaras Strait under GOV.
er of planes and warships. Their
first move was to seize Pulupandan
and the Bago river bridge.
Also reporting fresh successes on
invaded Cebu, just east of Negros,
where contact also had been made
with guerrillas, Gen. Douglas Mac.
Arthur said:
Throughout the entire Visayan
area, comprising the central por-
ton of the Philippines, the enemy
seems bewildered and his defense
is rapidly collaspsing.
"Preoccupied to the north in Lu-
ION and fearful of his position to
the south in Gnvaded) Mindanao,
he has neglected his center and
left it exposed to a series of di-
vergent thrusts which are proving
vital.
The 10th Division Yank invaders
of Negros, one of the last big Phil
ippine islands in japanese hands,
are commanded by Maj. Gen. Rapp
Bush. Previously they participated
in the January invasion of Luzon
island and landed in mid-March
on Panay island just west of Ne
gros.
On Cebu. the Americal Division,
commanded by Maj. Gen. William
H. Arnold, advanced northeast
from captured Cebu City. Along
the coast Mandaue and Mana were
captured.
After joining the guerrillas, the
Yanks "are rapidly securing all
areas to the SOUTH" Headquarters
said.
Ground successes were reported
on Luzon. South of Corregidor is
land in Manila Bay, elements of
the 38th Infantry Division landed
on Caballo island and secured it.
MacArthur's Far Eastern Air
Force. which has been strikino
blows at Formosa in coordination
with the naval-air assaults of the
Ryukyus, dropped more than 200
tons of explosives on that For
tress Thursday. Liberators made
the raid after a night attack on
dock area by other planes. The
big bombers set fires at Takao
and Tainan and on nearby air.
dromes. Smoke from the fires rose
to 5000 feet. Other raiders des-
troyed, locomotives on four trains
and derailed freight cars.
Planes ranged the China Sea
area south to Camranh bay on
French Indo-China. Fighter-bonb-
CTS LII mat area tangled with 20
enemy fighters and shot down nine
at a loss of one plane, headquart-
ers said.
Patrol planes sank a 10000 ton
tanker and three coastal planes
off Pharang and destroyed four
planes on the Tourane air
dror1e.
Off Dutch Celebes, heavy bomb
ers sank a Japanese destroyer,
probably sank another and also a
medium cargo vessel, four small
freighters and two schooners.
Headquarters said the planes
caught enemy shipping under
way in the Makassar Pomella
area