Evening star., 1945-06-10
10th Army Meets
Stiff Resistance
At Southern Tip
BY the Associated Press.

GUAM, June 10 Sunday
Fierce, laSt-stand japanese re.
sistance on the southern tip O.
Okinawa has temporarily stale.
mated the drive of the Marine.
and soldiers to finish the 71-day.
old campaign, the Navy an
nounced yesterday japanese
casualties through Friday totalec
67,703 killed.
The enemy on Oroku Peninsula
and in the Yaeju-Dake escarpment
IN Southern Okinawa gave strone
resistance to the attack of the 10th
Army on June g." Admiral Chester
w. Nimitz reported.
mo substantial changes were
made in the line"
Japs Under Heavy Pressure.
On Friday, while carrier planes
of Admiral William F. Halseys 3rd
Fleet attacked Japanese base on
Kyushu used by the enemy's special
attack (suicide planes, the Japa-
nese sent over more raiders against
American shipping at Okinawa.
Admiral Nimitz said the attackers
caused no damage and IL raiders
were shot down.
The new total of enemy killed was
an increase of more than 1000 in
two days. The previous figure given
for the end of June 6 was 66,324.
The 9th and 1st Divisions exerted
heavy pressure on japanese pocketed
in 3-square- mile sector on Okin-
ava, the 9th from the north, the lst
from the south Other lst Marine
elements pushed southwark.
Escarpment bombarded.
While the 7th Infantry Division
on Southeastern Okinawa fought to
capture vital summit near the
coast. warships, artillery and planes
throughout yesterday covered the
heavily defended escarpment area
with shells and bombs.
Maj. Gen. John r. Hodge, COM
manding the American Oath Corps,
told Associated Press Correspondent
Al Dopking the enemy situation was
SO critical that he expected the
Japanese at any time to start their
banzai charges, their last gesture
of defiance.
Tokyo broadcasts have written of
Okinawa as lost and presently are
emphasizing that an invasion of
the japanese homeland may be ex-
pected
Admiral Nimitz made clear that
the last stand of the Japanese on
Okinawa is a typically fierce one.
He referred to heavy" japanese re-
sistance in the Oroku pocket and to
sharp fighting" in the escarpment
sector.
The 96th Infantry Division was
exerting pressure on the center.
Marines Using Tanks.
The 9Th Marine Division was en-
ploying tanks on drying terrain in
a slow, tough advance southwark
against the three-square-m mile Japa-
nese pocket on Oroku Peninsula.
The 1st Marine Division, which
fashioned the pocket Friday by
sending its 7th Regiment westward
to the sea on a broad front, got
18 tons of ammunition, water, food
and shoes from six amphibious trac-
tors which landed on the west coast
before it had been cleared of JAP
anese and were waiting to meet the
Marine detail.
The regiment, which reached the
sea at noon, was led by Col. Edward
w. Snedeker of Washington, D. c
(Col. Snedeker's wife and four
daughters live at 1923 Thirty
eighth place NWD
Japs Take Civilians Along.
Units of the 1st Marines ther
pushed southwark, outf1anking the
big coastal town of Itoman and tax.
ing within their lines many Oki.
nawan civilians as the japanese fel
back onto the escarpment's 450-foot
heights.
"a japanese broadcast said
American reinforcements were
pouring in" on the Oroku Pc
ninsula evidently in an attempt
to take control of the peninsula
in the shortest possible time"
This broadcast said the Ameri-
cans on the peninsula were sup
ported by about 100 tanks" and