Evening star., 1945-06-21
Campaign Ended After 81 Days;
Small Pockets Being Mopped Up
Jops' Losses in
Defending Island
Exceed 10000
By the Associated Press.

GUAM, June 21.-The end O
the OkinaWa campaign after 8
days of savage fighting was an
nounced today by Admiral Ches
ter w. Nimitz, giving American
forces a strategic base only 32
miles from Japan.
Costliest of all the Central ane
Western Pacific campaigns, the
battle of .Okinawa took a toll O.
35,1l6 Americans killed and wounded
up to four weeks ago, and cost the
enemy more than 10000 dead.
The American losses included
Army and Marines. 5,332 killed
21,343 wounded: Navy, 4,270 killeo
and missing, ALI wounded.
japanese figures through last
Tuesday were 87,343 killed and 1855
taken prisoner.
Fleets Big Guns Silent.
While the big guns of the fleet
and the artillery battalions fell
silent, American 10th Army forces
today still hammered with tanks
and flame throwers at two small
pockets on the southern tip of the
island, mopping up a handful of
japanese who refused to surrender
Admiral Nimitz in a special COM
munique declared all organized re-
sistance had been crushed.
His announcement was made
shortly after Gen. Macarthur re-
ported from Manila that Gen.
Joseph w. StilWell, chief of Army
Ground Forces, would take over
command of the 10th Army.
Victory was proclaimed only three
days after Gen. StilWell's predeces-
sor, 1t. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buck
ner, jr., was killed by a japanese
shell burst as he watched the ad-
vance of his troops.
1t fulfilled Gen. Buckner's predic-
ton, made a short time before he
was struck down, that it was unlikely
the enemy could hold out more than
week longer.
Jap General Holed Up.
Presumably one of the remaining
pockets was near the southeast
shore where the japanese general
commanding the garrison was holed
up. The other probably is near the
center of the front.
Largest japanese island captured
by Admiral Nimitz's forces, OkinaWa
was invaded Easter Sunday, April l,
with two strategic objectives.
First was the tightening of the
blockade of Japan. The second was
to provide fields for large numbers
of American bombers to hammer
Japan into surrender or to softer
the home islands for American in.
vasion.
Against the invaders of Okinawa
the japanese flung kamikaze tsui-
cide) pilots and planes against the
American supply ships croWdlne
the surrounding waters. sinking al
least "a and damaging 81, most o.
them light. small vessels.
Japs Lose 4,0s6 Planes.
In all, the enemy lost, by the las
announced count. 4096 planes, bu
still they could not halt the flow o.
supplies.
The japanese have been Speculat.
ing on where the Americans vii
strike next, whether at the heart o1
the homeland or on the Chinese
mainland, A50 miles west of Oki.
naWa.
They have reported at least two
American task forces are on the
loose in waters west of OkinaWa
with large numbers of supply yes.
sells and assault boats anchored ir
Okinawan waters.
Stubborn Japs Fight.
The JapS fought stubbornly to the
last, although they we're running out
of ammunition, food and water
They employed machine guns. rifles
and mortars to the fullest, while the
Yanks relied on flame-throWing
tanks, demolition charges and auto
matte weapons.
Eight hundred eighty-fve Jap.
surrendered the first three days Oi
this week-probably a Pacific wal
record-but there was no weakening
of their comrades determination te
live up to the Bushido command tt
kill 10 Yanks before being con-
quered.
1t. Harry Hartmann, Cairo, Ill.
Army medical officer at the front
told Associated Press Correspondent
Robert Geiger there was evidence
that some Japs were filled" with
narcotic. Rher medics supported
his statement.
Heavy Guns Silenced.
Reports received today prior tt
Admiral Nimitz's announcement Of
the fall of Okinawa said the JAP
anese were compressed so tightly
that the Yanks were limited to at.
tacking with tanks, flame throwers
and small arms. All heavy guns
both artillery and naval, were ST.
fenced because of the danger o1
firing into American forces. Tht
battlefield seemed strangely quie
without the backdrop of heavy gun.
fire and explosions.
"The YaAks have Whitfield tn,
japanese in,o three small pens fo
slaughter" a correspondent radioet
from the front.
One pocket was 1000 yards square
around Kiyama Ridge on the south
ern tip of Okinawa. The second wa
around Mabuni on the southeast
ern coast, where japanese head
Four additional men from
the District area haze been re-