The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-08-10

WarSulpB 70 the fuul4u Qctau,
 The return to the Philippines began in September, 1924, when Halssy destroyed a convoy rushing reserves to Mindanao. B-29s at- tackled Formosa and carrier planes raked the Philippines. Macarthur landed on L,eyte Oct. 20,f and the Japanese fleet came out of hiding In an effort to wipe out the invasion forces.
 In the naval battles which fol- lowed the American fleet sank or heavily damaged 5e Japanese war ships. U. $. losses were extremely light.
 Meanwhile the Japanese invaded India in March, were repulsed at Kohima and Imphal. and the Brit ish began slowly driving them back toward Rangoon. Tn June 5 American B-29s began operations from China and on June IS hit Japan for the first time. The first B-29 raid on Tokyo was made on Nov. 24 by planes operating from the MarianaS.
 In March, Japan launched an at tack designed to split China in two and force the country out of the war. By late fall Chungking was threatened and the Japanese had driven wedge through central China, linking Singapore and Shanghai. Then the tide turned in that theater.
 Joint Fleet Action
 By, the end of 1944 the British had fleets in the Indian Ocean and in the Pacific. working with the American Navy.
 The year 1945 really marked the beginning of the end for Japan.
 Early in January Nimitz and Macarthur conferred as B-29s hit Japan and as Navy planes raided Formosa and the Manila area. On Jan. 10 MacArthur invaded Luzon, and late in the month warships be- gan pounding Two Jima, 750 miles from Japan.
 t'l1e Stilwell road from Burma to China was completed and China had a new source of supplies.
 Macarthur entered Manila on Feb. 5, but fighting continued there for a month.' In the same month, carrier planes raided Tokyo for the first time, Macarthur returned to Corregidor and on Feb. 19 Marines stormed ashore at Two to begin a bloody battle which did not end until March IT.
 Chinese Seize Lashio
 The war looked better in Asia, too. On March 8, Chinese troops seized Lashio, terminus of the old Burma road, and on March g Brit ish forces entered Mandalay.
 The American Navy worked over Japan again, and on March 20 found the remnants of the Japanese fleet in hiding and destroyed ATS planes and sank or damaged 30 ships. From there the Navy went to the Ryukyus and began concen- trated bombing. The same month Japan had series of cabinet crises,
 On Easter Sunday, April l, Amer ican 10th Army troops soldiers and Marines-landed on Okinawa and a vast ring was frightened about Japan.
 The death of President Roosevelt came on April 12 even as victory was finally in sight.
 In May, MacArthur invaded Bor- neo and Mountbatten announced that the Burma campaign was at an end. These two developments came as Germany formally surrendered and the full might of the Allies was freed for the Pacific. Suicide Attacks Begin
 By then the Japanese had begun their suicide attacks on American shipping and the fleet suffered losses. The Japanese also were try ing another offensive weapon-bal. loon bombs which sometimes reached America but caused nc great damage and only a few cas- ualties.
 In June the Chinese recapturec Foochow and began regaining for. mer American 14th airforce fields Borneo proper was invaded and or June 9 the bitter Okinawa cam. piaign ended with Il, ,260 American! killed and 33,769 wounded = tht heaviest casualties of any campaign in the Pacific. The Japanese los 90,4 ,401 killed.
 MacArthur announced in July that the entire Philippines hac been liberated and that the cam paign was almost closed = freeing his men for the tasks ahead. The Navy returned to Japan and