Evening star., 1945-06-12
Surprise U.S.. Landing Reported,
Trapping japanese on Okinowo;
Enemy Ignores Surrender Offer
Hundreds Are Killed
As Yunks Seal In
Caves on Cliffs
MAP on Pgqe AL
By the Associated Press. ,

1OAVN, julie L. "A SuI VI LOG
American landing on the south
ern beaches of Okinawa, which
: would completely encircle the
main japanese force trapped on
:, fortified plateau, was reported
today by the Tokyo radio as the
doomed JapS ignored an offer to
negotiate a surrender.
With the landing, the enemy
broadcast said, American 10th Army
troops began an all-out offensive"
to wind up the campaign against
the estimated $1,000 enemy troops
still alive. No mention of the re-
ported landing has been made by
United States headquarters.
Destruction of all Japanese re-
sistance on this island is merely
matter of days." 1t. Gen. Simon
Bolivar Buckner, jr., 10th Army
commander. said in an ultimatum
to the enemy commander.
Japanese for the first time were
reported firing PHOSPHORUS shells
in a desperate effort to halt the
Yanks.
Japs Sealed in Caves.
Attacking as savagely as the jap
anese fought back, Maj. Gen. James
L. Bradley's 96th Division killed
hundreds of the enemy, sealing
them in caves as they fought step
by step up steep northern cliff
of the Yaeju-Dake escarpment yes
terday.
Fifty caves on the coral cliff face
were sealed with demolition blasts
In two hours. In one large cave.
remnants of a japanese company
were caught before they could man
their guns.
The 7th Divisions l84th Regl-
ment cleared out 419 caves as they
mopped up on the eastern flank.
Three hundred caves were scared
with flame throwers and blasted
with demolition charges by the 184th
yesterday and 119 Sunday in a mop
up operation behind the divisions
18th and 32d Regiments.
It was the Goth Divisions 381st
Regiment which scaled a lUO-roor
cliff to Yaeju plateau top in
surprise assault launched at am.
Trap Closed on Enemy.
In the tough Oroku Peninsula
pocket battle against remnants of
the Japanese naval landing force
foften miscalled~ ~marines) Mai. Gen.
Lemuel C. Shepherd, jr.'s 9Th Ma
rine Division captured machine
guns taken by the Japs from
wrecked planes around Naha Air
field and set up for defense on the
peninsula. The Marines had closed
their trap on the enemy at about
one square mile and had the Japs
surrounded on three sides. Naha
harbor was the fourth side. One
regiment killed 400 to 500 Japanese
On the peninsula yesterday.
Gen. Bradley's New York division
repulsed several japanese attempts
to oust it from it's toehold on the
escarpment at point 900 yards
south of Yunagusuku in the center
of the line.
1t was the 17th Regiment of Maj.
Gen. Archibald " Arnolds 7th Di-
vision which scaled a nearly per-
pendicular cliff east of the Goth
Division to effect the other breach
in the Yaeju-Dake escarpment. The
regiment reached the top of a pla-
teau north of Hanagusuku, on the
actn Nf hn
On the west flank, Maj. Gen
Pedro A. del Valles 1st Marine Di-
vision pushed south along the coast
against light resistance, gaining
about $50 yards. Inland, the 7th
Regiment, driving for Kunishi ridge,
key japanese position, was under
heavy machine-gun and mortar fire
The japanese threw steady artil-
lery fire at tanks leading the regi-
ments advance
In the rear, 1st Marine Division
engineers were bridging the Mukue
River to increase the volume and
speed of supplies.
Japs Fire Phosphorus Shells.
On Oroku Peninsula, the trapped
Jap naval landing troops were max
ing a characteristically desperate
stand to the death. They still were
able to bring out artillery, firing
heavy concentration of PHOSPHORUS
shells on the Marines. One 8-inch
gun which had been kept under
cover opened fire on an American
tank. It was silenced Immediately
by American fire.
The 9Th Divisions 4th and 29th
Regiments encountered particularly
tough fighting from high-ground
positions, where the japanese stuck
to the end in caves.
A japanese Domei news agency
broadcast claimed that since the
Easter invasion of Okinawa, 72,O0O
Americans have been killed or
wounded, 663 tanks knocked out,
2l8 artillery pieces destroyed and
more than so ammunition and SUD-
ply dumps blown up.