Evening star., 1945-04-21
laps Fight FierceIy
las ; Divisions Push
On 0kinawa Capital
By the Associated Press.

On 0kinawa Capital
BY the Associated Press.
GUAM, April 21.-Fighting on
Southern Okinawa ragged fiercely
today as Japanese troops fought
a stubborn defense action against
three American divisions driving
toward Naha, the islands capital.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz's COM
munique yesterday said Is American
ships of all types were lost during
Okinawa opera tions between March
18 and April 10. The japanese lost
100 vessels, among them the priced
As ,000-ton battleship Yamato. add
ed to this total in a-land-air war
fare were 1859 blasted japanese
planes.
American losses included five de-
stroyers. destroyer-transport, two
minecraft, gunboat. four landing
craft and two ammunition vessels.
Japs Resist Stubbornly
Despite terrific casualties from
artillery preparation for the south
ward push Of the 9th, 96th and 7th
Divisions, the enemy on Southern
OkinaWa was resisting stubbornly.
The 9th passed Kakazu Ridge, but
was mopping up by-passed pockets
of japanese. The 9th advanced
1000 yards in the first "a hours and
was only 900 yards from the Machi-
nato airstrip, northeast of Naha.
In the center OF the three
pronged drive the Goth was bucking
rough terrain. its right flank delayed
nearly half hour in starting be-
cause of a fierce enemy artillery
bombardment. Men OF the 7th after
"a 1,400-yard advance, were inching
toward Yonabaru airstrip, bare 200
yards from its fringes.
On little Ie Island the enemy de-
fenses had taken a suicide aspect
as the 77th Division coped with
makeshift defenses. including wood
en- mines. depressed antiaircraft
guns which raked beaches, and 500
pound bombs rigged with detonat ting
grenades.
Blasted From Sea and Air.
Japan's Domei news agency claimed
a destroyer was sunk near the
Kerama Islands. west of Okinawa
today. Domei also said 200 carrier
planes OF the American Air Force
attacked an island north of Oki-
naWa
BattleShips. cruisers and destroy
ers continued to blast enemy posi-
tions. while land based and carrier
planes launched bomb. rocket and
straf1ng attacks. Maj. George Axtell
OF Laguna Beach, Calf. said the
rockets and bombs were very efIec-
tive" throughout the target area
Marine Corsairs swooped down on
Motobu Peninsula and set six fires
among enemy positions near Itoman
Previously Admiral Nimitz an
nounceo American casualties in tn.
area up TO April 18 we're 1895, OF
whom 1,467 were killed. Naval cas-
ualties We're more than half of these
-4,700. of whom 989 were killed
Counted enemy dead on Okinawa
totaled 9,108 through April Is.
Although these figures did not ap-
proach the 19,938 Yank casualties
and the more than 10000 counted
enemy dead in the 26 days Of fight
ing in Two. they covered only l8
days OF land operations on Okinawa,
13 days Of which were marked ~ 4
Tstalemate on the souther1r front.
Since then the front has s1ared TO
white heat. te
Reports from the lines reflected
graphically the deadliness of the en-
counter. S/Sergt. Ray Fitzpatrick,
"a Marine combat correspondent
from Hartford. Conn, Said G Com
pany OF the 9Th Marine Division,
fighting on Motobu Peninsula
where the going was comparatively
easy, had lost 83 of its more than
200 men in taking Big Nose Ridge
The figure was that of killed and
wounded. One platoon of 46 men
had % casualties, he added.
The battle-hardened 77th Army
Division came up against some of
the hardest fighting OF It's career in
attacking Mount Iegusugu. rock
like fortress on little lie Island to
the west of Okinawa, Associat ted
Press Correspondent Grant Mac
Donald reported. The enemy had
gun positions three stories deep in
solid rock.
Engineers Of the 9th Division
bridged Machinato Inlet the night
before the offensive on the west
enabling a battalion of troops to
move across for an attack on
Machinato town. which was taken
in the early stages of the big push.
Hard Going Encountered.
Fighting on high ground in the
center of the line, the 96th Division
encountered hard going, Associated
Press Correspondent Vern Haug-
land reported.
The announced American ship
losses included five destroyers, the
Halligan, Bush and Pringle of the
2, 2,100-ton class, and the older de-
stroyers Colhoun and M. L. Adele;
two ammunition ships, the Hobbs
Victory and the Logan Victory; the
minecraft Emmons and Skylark,
the destroyer transport Dickerson,
and one gunboat and four landing
craft, all of which were listed by
number.
Admiral Nimitz said the Is con-
stituted all the United States ships
sunk in the Okinawa campaign to
April 18. Previously he said several
feet units were damaged, but did
not name them.
MoIInn'e na,,nhfar f1ivon