The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-10
Troops And Tanks
 Drive On Manila
Continued from Page l1

a triumphant communique which proclaimed that the decisive battle for the liberation of the Philippines and control of the southwest Pacific Is at hand"
 The enemy evidently had not prepared for a landing in the Linga- yen sector and as result of this strategic surprise. our landing losses were insignificant" MacArthur said We are now in his rear
 His main reinforcement and sup ply lines to the Philippines are cut and his ground fight for Luzon will have to be made with such resources as he now possesses there. ! Macarthur told newsmen on Lu- zon that the Japanese apparently had expected the Americans to land on southern Luzon and the thrust to the north caught them offbase. He predicted the battle for Manila and the entire Philippines would be fought on the great central plain North of Manila.
 The beaches chosen for the land- ing were the same over which 30,000 Japanese troops pushed ashore from 70 transports and 20 warshipS on Dee. g, l94l to seal the fate of Ma nila and the MacArthur-defen Philippines Remnants Of the Amer icar air force in the Philippines, tcaming with submarines and coast al batteries in a futile defense, sank or damaged few ships in the Jap anese armada, but the Japanese suf- fered only two per cent losses in landing.
 The Japanese also made what MacArthur called repeated and des perate' attacks in an attempt to halt the 00-mile-long armada car rylng American troops to the Lin gayen Gulf during the past few days
 Some loss and damage" was Suf- fered by the American ships, Mac Arthur said, but they were consid- cred infinitesimal in comparison to the size of the fleet-800 transports several hundred warships ranging from battleships and carriers to de- stroyer escorts, and. according to one source, 2,500 smaller landing craft.
 The heaviest enemy attacks came after the battleshipS and other war ships steamed into the Lingayen Gulf Saturday and unleaShed, in MacArthur's words, "blistering air and naval bombardment' that l irtt shore battery from Lingayen to San Fernando and sent the enemy flee- ing inland.
 Saipan Worse
 Vice Admiral Jesse B. Olendorf commander of part of the lombard ment force, said the enemy opposi- tion was worse than at Saipan'
 There we got some shore fire that was bad, but here we had three days of constant air attacks that was a lot worse he said.
 At least 79 or more than 100 at tacking planes were shot down.
 Japanese undersea and surface forces also attempted to stem the assault A midget submarine firec two torpedoeS at the armada, but was rammed and sung by destroy e.. Two Japanese destroyers also were sunk before they could do any damage. An enemy coastal cargo ship and many small harbor and coastal craft similarly were blasted to the bottom.
 While the bombardment force was in action in Lingayen Gulf the main invasion armada was mov- ing north from the Mindanao Sea south of Leyte. It feinted toward Mindoro, then streamed north 1T l00-mile long procession past Manila and reached Lingayen Gull Monday night
 At dawn Tuesday. battleships anc other warships began their fina two hour bombardment of the land beaches. climaxed by a rocket bar rage from small craft that SWep' in close to shore.
 Even as the last shell sand rock cts arched overhead, Swarms of am phibious tanks, Alligators. Buffaloe' and other landing craft moved ou from the motar transports ant sped toward the shore.
 The initial assault waves hit thu beaches promptly at 9:30 a. m. ant spilled ashore. The only opposition came from an isolated mortar pos that quickly was silenced. From then on, troops, armored equipmen and supplies were poured ashore in ; never ending stream ,harassed b, only few Japanese sneak al raiders
 Macarthur splashed ashore onl a short time after It. Gen. Waite Krueger, commander of the SiXtl Army, had set up his headquarter on Luzon and taken over activ , command of operations from Vic :. Admiral Thomas c. Kinkaid. com mander of the Seventh Fleet. | An official spokesman said fore comparative to that landed at Leyt , -lG0 900 men-WaS landed in th Lingayen Gulf and one broadcaS from the island estimated that 5 per cent more troops were aShor in the first 24 hours than at Leytt On Mindoro just southwest 0 I Luzon, American forces continue f the pursuit of Japanese troops i the coastal sectors and shot dow two enemy planes atempting to at tack American shipping. o Another 402 enemy dead Wer . counted and 27 captured in the pas D two days on Leyte.
 , Timetable The timetable of the Philippine , campaign:
 n Oct 20-Americans land on eas I coast of Leyte.
 Oct 23-28-Japanese fleet defeat
 ed in second battle of Philippine | sea with 58 warships sunk or dam . aged
 ' Oct. 25-Americans invade Sama ' Nov, "A Americans captuI e Limon northern anchor of Yama : shita line on Leyte
 ', Dec. 7.-U. s. 77th Division lanc