Evening star., 1945-01-15
Americans Push
beyondJap
River Barrier
Anticipated Stand
Along Agno Fails
To MuteriuIize
By the Associated Press.

GEN. MacARTHUR'S HEAD
QUARTERS, Luzon, Jan. 15.-
American 9Th Army troops have
crossed the formidable but vir-
tually undefended Agno River 88
miles from Manila and overrun
scattered japanese to expand
their Lingayen Gulf beachhead
80 miles to total of As, Gen.
Macarthur reported today.
The infantrymen in their fifth
day of the invasion hurdled the
Agno, where the enemy had been
expected to make stand, at Bay
ambang, % miles from the gulf
They continued south at pace
limited only by the ability of supply
columns to keep up with them.
Mangatarem was captured by the
westernmost spearhead in an Smile
advance brushing through two enc
my skirmishing parties of $50 men
each. The eastern flank had more
difficult going, but approached Cata-
blan, 20 road miles inland, in a s.
mile gain.
On this front the Yanks ran into
small arms and artillery fire from
an enemy position of foxholes and
dugouts. Eighty-two japanese and
a few Americans were killed.
Beachhead Extended.
Extension of the beachhead took
in the important rail and highway
junction of Damortis on the north
and approached Alaminos in the
southern side of the crescent-shaped
arc, representing gains of 10 and 20
miles, respectively, from an original
beachhead measuring Is miles.
The capture of Damortis, where
the Americans found little more
than sniper fire, seals off japanese
troops on the northwest coast from
the only highway leading into the
Benguet Mountains. Some jap
anese military leaders are believed
to be in these mountains at Baguio,
summer capital of the Philippines.
The sweep westward to Alaminos
included seizure of port Saul after
a short, sharp fight. Associated
Press War Correspondent Fred
Hampson reported the Yanks cap
tured quantity of equipment there
the first instance of material aban-
doned by the japanese on Luzon.
Mr.. Hampson said the japanese
apparently did not plan to offer a
defense along the Agno, the strong
est natural barrier since the landing.
He said the unit he accompanied
met 100 japanese not far from the
Agno, but they were lightly armed
and put up little fight"
Logistics Is Main Problem.
The correspondent reported the
main problem still was logistics-
unloading equipment through heavy
surf and getting the stuff forward
across rivers whose bridges had
been blown up" He said the Jap
anese themselves had destroyed
fully thirds of the larger bridges
leading southwark from Lingayen
Gulf, forcing the invaders to use
slow ferry services to transport vital
equipment over sluggish, wide
rivers"
Gen. MacArthur's communique
covering operations Saturday said
the enemy has as yet been unable
to concentrate forces in resistance"
A spokesman reported the only stiff
opposition was still in the hilly Sec
tion in the northeast part of the
battle front, near PoZorrubio.
American planes, pounding con-
tinuously at enemy troop conveys,
and airdromes,
have played large part in the sue
cess of the operation by harassing
japanese efforts to bring up re-
Jap Trains Destroyed.
In five days, 26 locomotives, 300
freight cars, more than 400 motor
vehicles and II tanks and armored
cars were destroyed in American
air attacks Numerous enemy air.
craft were knocked out in raids on
airdromes.
On Thursday attack planes and
fighters raked highway traffic while
(see PHILIPPINES, page A-6.)