The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-08-15

President Sergio Osmena estab.
lished the Philippine government
on its own soil again.
Probably close to 300 warships
on both sides participated in the
far-flung struggle. a battle that
was divided into three separate &C
tons, spread over an expanse OF
hundreds OF thousands OF square
miles OF ocean and extended over
period OF five days of combat
and pursuit.
Loses Strength
When 1t was over the japanese
Navy, third largest IN the world,
had lost more than half its maxi
mum strength in the greatest naval
defeat OF history.
Three enemy fleet forces we're
sighted on Oct. %, small battle
ship force steaming through the
Sulu Sea from the direction OF
Singapore toward Suriago Strait
south OF Leyte with the object OF
surprising the Americans from the
rear, the main battleship force
heading through the Sibuyan Sea
toward San Bernardino Strait north
OF Leyte with the same objective,
and a carrier force coming from
Formosa through the Philippine
Sea
Turned Back
Kinkaid's escort carriers cover
ing Leyte Gulf we're but lightly pro-
tected and suffered severely, but
they turned back the enemy with
almost thir last ounce Of strength.
Halsey's heavier task force en-
gagged the main carrier force off
Cape Engano at the northeastern
tip OF the Philippines and drove II
OF with heavy damage.
At about this time the Japanese
made the first large-scale use OF
their Kamikaze corps the suicide
filters who later were so widely ad-
yertised-when about 80 OF these
planes dived on Halsey's carriers
off Luzon.
Although trapped in the ormoc
corridor In northwest Leyte, the
Japanese succeeded in getting re-
Inducements ashore and IN mold
ing the Americans to slow advances
The stalemate finally was broken
when the 18th division landed
south of Ormoc, dividing the enc.
NV The coup de grace was given
on Christmas day.
Greatest Defeat
| Macarthur announced that the
Japanese army had suffered It's
greatest defeat in history, with
$4,000 killed. Sweet revenge Tor
Macarthur was the destruction Oh
the Japanese 10Th division, perpe'
traitors OF the Bataan death march
At the beginning OF l945, on
Ian. 9, therefore, Macarthur struck
for his main objective, Manila
Again the Sixth Army spearnead-
ed the attack. crossing Lngayen
Gulf as the point OF landing.
Krueger's veterans swept 1or'
ward easily but cautiously toward
Bataan. Corregidor and Manila, l2O
1
miles away.
The rotting, burned ruins ano
grass-grown graves OF Camp oDon
nell, where more than 5O'ooO OF
20. 600 Filipino and American pris-
oners OF war had died from starva'
ton. disease and brutality, were
oyerrun on Jan %.
Thrilling Rescue
On Jan. 80 a daring battalion o.
Rangers. with the aid OF Filipino
guerrillas, slipped rs miles behind
Japanese lines and made the ilrst
OF a series Of thrilling rescues from
enemy prison camps. Striking with
such precision that every stockade
guard was killed, the Rangers freeu
513 pathetically happy survivors OF
Bataan. Corregidor and Singapore
in one OF the most moving episodes
OF the war.
On the night OF Feb. 8 the First
Cavalry Division broke into Man
Tia and smashed open the gates Ior
1900 gaunt internees In Santo To
mas. The following day the 31tn
division from the north and the
18th airborne division from the
south drove into the capital. -.
Manila, 1.-The Pearl OF the Orient
was hammered into a shambles be-
fore It was liberated Feb. "a.
Already the 3Sth division had
sprung a landing on the southern
tin of Bataan and on Feb. II para
chute troopers bounced on Corregi-
dor, seizing the rocky fortress Is
lands topside and sealing the Jap
anese garrison in the tunnels be-
meath.
Philippines Freed
On July Macarthur announced
that the entire Philippine Islands
-. this great land mass OF 1l5,6Oo
SQUARE miles with population OF
7.O0O,0 900 Is now freed OF the IN
vader.'
The volcanic citadel OF Two Jima,
destined to become the bloodiest
battlefield in Marine Corps history
was attacked on Feb. 10 while the
battle OF Manila still ragged
Sixty-one thousand Marines OF
the Third, Fourth and Fifth Diyi'
sions were thrown into the strug-
gle for this tiny dot in the Paciflc
$50 miles from Tokyo. In rs days
the Marines killed more than $4,000
Japanese and suffered 32.6 per
cent casualties--the highest OF any
pacific battle. Graves for 4,lSs
Marines are marked there.
| After four days OF battle the Jap.
anese were driven from Suribachi
and the Stars and Stripes hoisted
on the tip OF the extinct volcano.
Before the island was secured
however. crippled BIOS were land