Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-28
Yank Forces on Cebu
Push Close 10 Edge
OF Burning Capital
By the Associated Press.

~ eAe assoGldieu fFeSS.
MANILA, Mar. 28.-American as
sault troops, swarming ashore on
Cebu Island Monday against elab-
crate beach defenses, swept almost
to the outskirts of Cebu city, head
quarters reported today, but that
busy second city of the Philippines
already was af1ame and exploding
from Japanese demolition.
Shortly after Maj. Gen. William
H. Arnold's Americal Division hit
the beaches. the first big fire ap-
peared in the heart of the city.
Then came thunderous explosions
and sheets of flame as the Japanese
demolition crews went to work as
they did in Manila. Gen. Arnold.
43, is from ST. Louis.
installations at the modern air.
drome just northwest of the city,
the fine wharf area, the municipal
electric plant and the huge coconut
refinery just across the harbor on
Mactan Island-the largest refinery
in the Philippines-all were burned
and blasted as the Yanks probed
into the southern outskirts.
Landing Near Taiisay.
The landing, under cover of an
Efficient air and naval bombardment,
was made near Talisay. about miles
south of Cebu City. This is about
midway along the east coast of the
big string bean-shaped island which
lies between Japanese-held Negros
and American-captured Leyte in
the center of the archipelago.
Gen. MacArthur's communique to-
day said the japanese defenders had
been caught of guard" but front
dispatches made clear that the
beaches were well prepared to repel
an invasion.
Richard Bergholz, Associated
Press correspondent with the invad-
Ing force. wrote that the enemy had
everything ready for long, tough
fight"
He said the enemy had established
elaborate, extensive beach de-
lenses" and that japanese mortar
fire pinned down the first amphib-
ious vehicles to hit the Shoreline
However, the Yanks piled out of
their vehicles and drove inland afoot
against disorganized resistance.
Big Bridge Blown Up.
The japanese, falling back, finally
blew up The big three-span highway
bridge across the Mananga River
Just north of the beachhead.
A headquarters spokesman said
the first close-range contact with
the japanese did not materialize un-
til the Yanks were 5000 yards in
land.
The principal fight was expected
for Cebu City itself. Most of that
city of 10000, a busy sugar and
coconut port, was covered with the
smoke of demolition fires.
Gen. Arnold's Americal Division
(the name is a contraction of
America and New Calendonia,
where they trained figured earlier
in the Central Philippines campaign
by invading the tiny islands of
Tlcao and Burias in the Sibuyan
Sea off Southern Luzon. The di-
dlsion is a veteran of the Solomons.
LuzOn Village Captured.
Meanwhile on Luzon, Mai. Gen.
Leonard T. Wings 43d Division cap
tured the small village of New Boso-
bose in the enemy's crumbling de-
tense area east of Manila on the
Marikina watershed This division
alone has killed more than TOO
japanese in that area in the last
two weeks.
To the-south, the 18th Air-Borne
Division under Maj. Gen. Joseph M. |
Swing, was within l mile of Lipa.E
key road and rail center in South I
ern Batangas Province. The 1st
Cavalry Division of Mai. Gen Verne
D. Nudge captured an airdrome Is
miles north of there.
Attack planes swept Formosa
while patrol bombers ranging the
China Sea set four coastal vessels
afire- A l,0O0-ton freigher and four
smaller ships were damaged in the
Makassar Strait off Borneo.