Evening star., 1945-02-10
Mines and Mortars
Slow j. !. Infantry
In Manila CLEANUP
Macarthur Says Enemy
Is Fighting FiereeIy
In Final Stond'
By the Associated Press.

MANILA, Feb. 10. - Mined
streets and japanese mortars
firing from the upper floors of
office buildings slowed American
infantrymen today in their stub
bornly resisted drive through the
heart of Manila toward dock
areas south of the Pasig River.
1t was clear the desperate and
trapped Japanese would fight long
and bitterly in defense of the
fame -blackened Intramuros district,
through which the Yanks must pass
to reach the dock area from their
amphibious Pasig River crossing.
Gen. Macarthur in his communi-
que today described the fighting
as "of the fiercest" and said the
enemy was set for final stand"
Three-way Trap Closing.
While the 11th Airborne Division
pressed the southern side of three
way trap, five battalions of the 148th
and 129th Infantry Regiments of
the 37th Division gained 1000 yards
from the Pasig as they headed into
the strongly-defended Intramuros
(walled city, hughly- -congested
commercial and residential area.
Reinforced concrete pillboxes and
mines were hazards aground. From
the second floors of Office buildings
the Japanese poured down deadly
mortar and machinegun fire. The
enemy used the mortars with good
effect, and, of course, considerable
damage to buildings.
(NBC Radio Reporter George
Thomas Folster said the Japa-
nese were shelling the entire
area, even the north bank of the
Pasig, with a heavy, arresting
fire"
(Mr. Folster described the en-
emy defense in the Intramuros
section as so strong and so deter
mined that it is certain to take
considerably more time yet to
clean out the Japs" from ManilaD
Fires Still Burning.
Fires still burned in three sections
of Manila yesterday, but seemed to
be diminishing.
Maj. Gen. Oscar w. Griswold,
14th Corps commander, told Asso-
ciated Press Correspondent Fred
Hampson that the japanese have
wantonly devastated a considerable
part of the heart of Manila with
demolition charges.
"A lot Of this destruction Is wan
ton and of no military purpose" he
said. tits ridiculous to assume they
had stores in all those burned build
ings. We are doing all we can to
stop 1t, but we are up against q
needle in a haystack job"
The Japanese tried to land a
barge-load of reinforcement troops
along the Tondo water front just
north of the Pasig River mouth, but
these were wiped out.
Transportation Short.
Caring for a large number of
hungry civilians and liberated in
ternees Is not easing the Army's
task Of clearing Manila. Trans
portation facilities are still insuffi-
icient to handle the large movement
of people: The food situation for
civilians is acute.
On Bataan the 38th Division of
the 9Th Army reached the town of
Moron in q 10-mile drive down the
west coast OF the historic peninsula
to which many Japanese are be-
neved to have fled. The Yanks on
Bataan have seen some of the
toughest fighting of the entire Luz
zon campaign.
South of Manila the Japanese
counterattacked twice near Tagay-
tay against elements Of the 1lth Air
borne Division, but were ''bloodily
repulsed," Gen. Macarthur reported
North OF Manila, the 9Th Division
secured crossings on the upper Pam
panga River at Rizal and at Bonga-
bong, the farthest eastern penetra-
ton Of the Central Luzon plain
From Bongabong q good mountain
road leads to the west coast ol
Luzon at Baler Bay.
American bombers, striking wide.
(See PHILIPPINES, Peee A-I)