Tuesday, Sept.
26, 1944
Airborne Men at
Arnhem
Get Some Relief
But
Still Wait
Linkup
A devastating artillery attack on
Germany launched along the whole U.S. First Army front from a
50-mile wall of powerful long-range guns, which plastered enemy
traffic centers and military installations was reported in field
dispatches yesterday. Huge 240mm guns—the largest artillery pieces in
the European theater—bombarded a long line of towns serving German forward
troops, and pounded
targets only 18 miles from the
Rhine.
Cross
Rhine in Ducks
In Holland, relief for the
trapped British airborne division at Arnhem dribbled across the lower Rhine
River in ducks and assault boats under heavy fire
from every sort of weapon, the
Germans could muster, but no solid link-up was reported in field dispatches
last night.
There was no mention of the vital
Rhine bridge at Arnhem either from SHAEF or held dispatches. Instead the emphasis
was on a developing British
thrust into Germany south of that
area,. The two walls of the Holland corridor stretching up to
Arnhem were strengthened in the face of German counterattacks. The
Nazis broke through the Eindhoven-Arnhem supply line once, but the gap was
sealed again.
Guns Hammer
Duren
First Army artillery fire
concentrated against Germany was reported to be equal in effect to air bombing,
restricted by weather in the past few days. Guns blasted at Duren, 16 miles
east of Aachen. Two villages were set on fire when shells exploded gasoline
dumps.
______________________________________________
Japan's air force in the
Philippines has been "destroyed" and her naval units stationed in the
islands have been forced to withdraw to new refuges as a result of two
"daring and highly successful" carrier-based attacks on Manila Bay
area last Wednesday and Thursday, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz announced yesterday. ~
~
The Pacific commander-in-chief
said that in two days the Navy put out of action 405 enemy aircraft—169
destroyed "in combat” 188 destroyed on the ground, 45 damaged on the
ground and three damaged by gunfire from ships.
In addition, the raiders sank or
damaged,103 ships and small craft, including 40 ships sunk, 11 probably sunk,
35 damaged, six small craft sunk and 11
damaged. Two floating drydocks
were damaged.
Peleliu
Attack Thwarted
Nimitz' recapitulation of the
Manila attacks was made public at the same time headquarters announced U.S.
warships on Saturday frustrated a Japanese
attempt to reinforce Peleliu
island in the 'Palau group by destroying a convoy of 13 barges and one motor
sampan carrying troops and equipment. The convoy was attacked northeast of
Peleliu, 600 miles east of the Philippines.
The Japanese "suffered
heavily" in the two-day strike at Manila, Nimitz said, reporting
"extensive destruction" at and near Clark and Nichols fields in the
Manila harbor area, and Cavite
naval base.
Besides the toll of planes and
ships, extensive damage was done to buildings, warehouses, railroad equipment,
oil storage tanks, harbor installations,
hangars, shops and stored
supplies.
Our own losses were 11 planes in
combat, ten pilots and five air crew men.
There was no loss or damage to
any of our surface ships."
. Withdrawal Forced
The admiral concluded that the
Third Fleet's attacks, under Adm. William F. Halsey, "have forced the
enemy to withdraw his naval forces from their former
anchorages .in the Philippines
and to seek new refuges in the same general area, have disrupted inter-island
communications and have destroyed 'his air force
in the Philippines
Liberators under Gen. Douglas MacArthur's
command dropped 105 tons of bombs on Jap airdromes on –Dutch Celebes, and patrol
torpedo boats sank
at least two enemy ships carrying
troops and supplies in Morotai .strait between Morotai and Halmahera islands.
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