The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-20
Yank Mortars
Tearing Wall
Of lntranluros
corregiidor Pounded AS u.
S. Troops Clear Foe
From Caves

MANILA, Tuesday, Feb. 20
lp,-Manila's Fort William Nc
xinlev was seized Sunday as
beavy mortars began tearing
snart the outer walls Of the In
tramuros where the cornered Jap
anese defense garrison is holed up
for bloody final stand.
Some of the 1000 civilians held
as hostages within the ancient In
tramuros (walled city, may have
cached freedom already. At
least few were reported to have
filtered to the waterfront and es-
capped in small boats. Japanese
ire from the walls still is heavy,
however.
Mortars were taken across the
pasig river on pontoon bridges
and nut to work tearing chunks
out of the thick outer wall OF the
1ntramuros so tanks and infantry
can move in.
Three days ago the japanese
commander was asked to iberate
the civilians within the walled
city. No formal answer has been
received.
Fort Mckinley, at the southern
outskirts of Manila, was entered
by 18th Airborne and First Caval-
" spearneads. Other Yanks,
swarming over Corregidor. mop
ned up the japanese defenders
and pursued enemy remnants on
Bataan.
Mckinley is one of Manila's two
forts The other is Fort Santiago,
inside the old Intromuros where
the japanese are making bloody
final stand, ieopardizing thousands
Of civilian lives.
Fort Mckinley before the war
was headquarters for the Phlhp-
pine Scouts and part of the Philip
pine division of the American
Army. 1t has large airfield and
extensive military facilities.
Gen. Douglas Macarthur said IN
his comnunique today the STEADY
reduction of the Japanese holed
ND in the Intramuros was contlnur
ing.
Japanese strongpoints on Cor
regidor were being eliminated by
Paratroopers and Infantrymen who
landed by air and sea on the Is
land fortress Friday. Enemy de-
tenders were being killed as they
manned their fixed gun batteries.
The towns of Hagonoy and Taglg
on the northwest shore of large
Laguna de Bay, southeast OF
Manila, also were taken.
Frequent patrol clashes were re-
ported near Novaliches and Nor
zagaray, northeast of Manila, while
in the Zanbales mountain sector
along Luzon's west-central coast,
the 10th Division was clearing Jap
anese remnants.
Light naval craft operating in
Manila Bay, now open to U. S.
Fleet units with the invasion of
Corregidor, sank four barges.
"On Corregidor our troops con-
unued the reduction Of enemy
strong points and hopping up in
the rear of batteries" Macarthur
announced. "On Bataan we are
comblng the peninsula for enemy
remnants. In south Manila the
steady reduction of the final enemy
positions continues"
A concentrated 175-ton bombing
o. Tokyo airdrome On Formosa by
army Llberators caused extensive
Manage to an aluminium plant and
raj yards, Macarthur reported.
AM patrols damaged three small
meishters off the Formosa coast
9 sank another in the Sakasbima
islands nearby.
0'her patrol bombers bombed
tnD sUafed a 3,000-ton freighter-
o naisport off the French Indo-C China
. vas, The vessel was left aground
and blazing.
ho northwest Borneo took a 64-ton
WILL Unpihg concentrated on the rum
S Say and dispersal area of Mir air.
IN ,o ~ as well as two other airfields
lo. [e vicinity. a patrol ship and a
coast WIZ 'oiiA oil 'he
bnrn aeflcan troops blasted and
dor rieo japanese out of Corregi-
mo M, tunnels and caves but still
envy Ovea cautiously today against en-
liye s p positions 81 in Manila, where
ieon OF thousands of civilians were
ovar4 example of what fate might
cbils lake the men, women and
ston4 Gil Gil held behind the aged but
s'00' walls of the old Intramuros