The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-04-02

10000 to 10000 japanese
325 miles south of Kyushu in the
central Ryukyus-offered only de-
sultory resistance throughout the
day.
American casualties were sur
prisingly light. Landings were
made a few miles north of Naha,
the capital city, on western Okl-
nawa. Pre-invasion heavy lombard
ment had been made on the east
coast.
Possibly 100, 900 American troops,
forming a new 10th U. S. Army url-
der It. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buck
ner, Jr., landed against only small
arms fire on the beaches. Later,
the Nipponese sporadically drop
ped some mortar and artillery fire
in the beach areas, but their guns
were silenced by supporting war
ships gunfire or carrier planes
bombs.
Beachheads were secured so
quickly that landing of supplies
was begun a few hours after the
first troops rushed ashore through
coral reefs and shell-torn sea
walls, Adm. Chester w. Nimitz
announced today in his second
communicate of the campaign.
Indicative of the thorough neu-
tralization Of airfields from Hon
shu through the Ryukus to For
mosa from which the enemy might
have launched an aerial counter
offensive, flagship dispatches re-
ported that only one small aerial
raid was made on the 1,400 ships
in the amphibious operation. Four
japanese planes were shot down.
Warships and carrier planes,
which pounded Okinawa with
many thousands of tons of bombs
and heavy naval shells for 10
days preceding the landings, con-
+inued their bombardment through
out the day.
Smoke from the explosions was
so heavy that at times carrier
planes had to resort to instruments
to bomb their targets and to nav1-
gate.
At the southern end OF the Ryu-
kyu chain, British Pacific task
force carrier planes heavily bomb
ed the Sakishima Islands for the
third time in a week. Twenty Jap
anese pilots tried to land on the
islands during the attack. Four
teen of their planes were Destroy
n
United States forces on OkinaWa
advanced inland rapidly through
out the first day of the assault, "
Nimitz said, land by 6 p. m. on
April l, forward elements, of the
oath Army Corps and Marine Third
Amphibious Corps had expanded
the beachhead to three-nlle
depth at several points.
Enemy resistance continued to
be light. Sporadic mortar and ar
lillery fire fell on the beaches
early in the day. The landing
beaches were made secure against
small arms fire as our forces deep
ened their positions behind the
beaches.''
The oath Army Corps and Ma.
rine Third Amphibious Corps
landed on the southwest coast oil
the Ryukyu chain key island al
S'5O a. m. Tokyo time $3.50 p. m
Saturday, U. S. Eastern Wal
Time along 5000 yards of cora
reef-protected beach seven to II
miles north of Naha, naval base
city and capital of Okinawa.
Within four hours the Ameri
cans captured two of Okinawa''
three operational airdromes ant
oVerran more than a dozen vii
lagos from which the people hat
lied, said Vern Haugland, Associ
ated Press correspondent with thu
invasion force.
1t was an hour after the landin,
before the Japanese directed ligh
mortar fire and artillery shell
against the beaches, and Their
was only brief tank ,skirmish 0,
the northern flank
The landing was virtually with
out American casualties, and tn
4anks suffered only light losses i
subsequent firing, Haugland said
Fleet Adm. Nimitz, who person
ally read the communique ar
nouncing the invasion, identifie
inc captured airstrips as the Yo1
ian and Kadena fields.
Nlmitz did not disclose tn
strength of the invading army
but it was believed it may nun
Der 100000 troops, charged wit
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