The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-31
Enemy S Best
Positions Are
Taken By U.s..
MOUNTAIN FIGHTING
Battle On Luzon Reported
Less Intense, Foe Is
Retreating

MANILA, Thursday, May 31.-P
Japanese forces on Mindanao,
pushed out of their Sayre highway
positions in the center OF the
island and from Davao on the
southwest coast, were being grad
ually compressed today in largely
unexplored mountain country.
The 31st Division was driving
them eastward along the Kibawe-
Talomo trail, the 24th Division
forced them westward.
A spokesman at Gen. Douglas
Macarthur headquarters said
enemy resistance was slowly
weakening in the pocket between
the Talomo and Davao rivers, but
the 24th Division reported strong
Nipponese forces still in its area
However, the best Japanese posi-
tons and weapons were gone, and
fighting was less intense.
In northern Luzon, the 25th Di-
vision killed $50 Japanese Monday
and Tuesday in hopping up around
Santa Fe, on the rugged southern
mountain approach to the Cagayan
valley. The 38th Division, consoli-
dating its position around the cap.
tl1-ed Wawa Dam east Of Manila,
killed more than 200 Of the enemy.
Fifth Air Force fighters contin.
ued near-record support OF Luzon
ground operations, dropping sic
tons of bombs in more than coo
sorties Monday and Tuesday. Most
of the explosives were dropped in
the Cagayan valley, last major
enemy stronghold in the archipela'
60.
On northern Borneo's Tarakan
island, the Australians compressed
the japanese into an area east Of
the Djoeata oil field, where Naval
units shelled them.
Heavy bombers flying from Phil
ippine bases returned to the Indo.
China coast area Tuesday for the
second successive day, the com
munique reported. They dropped
1903 tons of bombs on the coastal
railroad between Saigon and Phan
Rang, at times flying low to strafe
cars and nearby buildings.
Night patrols sank two cargo
ships at the mouth of the Yangtze
river and harassed air facilities
near Hong Kong.
Naval units supported ground OPP
epations on Tarakan, off the east
ern coast of Borneo, by shellin6
Japanese defenses in the interior.
Other light naval units strafed
shore installations on the north
east coast of Borneo and in the
Halmaheras, to the southeast.
Air activity against Borneo in
Guided bombing and strafing Of gun
positions and personnel areas at
Balikpapan and Manggar on the
eastern coast, and japanese posi-
tons at Sandakan, Jesselton and
the Brunei Bay area.
Adverse weather hampered the
air attack on Formosa but medium
fighters and search planes man
aged to get through to strike fuel
plants and comrnunica cations from
Takao on the south to Taihoku in
the north. They also made heavy
hits on rail equipment, personnel,
loaded vehicles and industrial
areas.
Australian forces in the Wewak
area of New Guinea meanwhile
four miles into the coast
al hills south of the town. Other
units, probing inland and converg-
ing on the Japanese from the west,
drove four miles east of Maprik
through difficult jungle terrain.
A spokesman at the generals
headquarters said the Wawa Sec
tor was the last strong Japanese
position along their former form-d-
able Shimbu line of caves and tun-
ne1s in the Sierra Madres. The
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