February 5, 1945; OLD GLORY WAVES OVER MANILA:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1945:

Salt Lake City, Utah, Monday Morning, February 5, 1945

Hard Hitting Cavalry

Circles in Dark

To Seize Key Points

3000 Santo Tomas Internees,

Mostly Women, Children,

Freed in Room-by-Room Fight

GEN. MACARTHUR'S HEADQUARTERS, Luzon, Monday,

Feb. 5 (AP)—

American troops reached the heart of Manila Sunday and raised the Stars and Stripes over the great Philippine capital for the first time in more than three years.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur was denied the satisfaction of entering the capital immediately. A dynamited bridge on the northern outskirts forced the leader of the liberation troops to turn back and find another route into the city.

(Pres. Roosevelt messaged Pres. Sergio Osmena of the Philippines that "the American people rejoice with me in the liberation of your capital." He warned the Japanese that "their world of treachery, .aggression and enslavement cannot survive." The message was made public at the White House.)

Yanks of the hard-hitting First cavalry division, in a wide encircling move by dark, entered the city Saturday night against harassing sniper -fire and quickly captured Malacanan palace and the large Santo Tomas concentration camp, where thousands

of Americans and British civilians were interned.

Associated Press Correspondent Russell Brines, with the First cavalry, said 3000 Santo Tomas internees were liberated.

They were mostly American women and children interned there since May 1, 1942. Brines said "room by room" fighting occurred within the former university.

The northern half. of Manila, pearl of the orient,, was in American hands as, elements of the First cavalry and 37th infantry division, the latter entering,from the north, pressed for the knockout.

The Japanese in the northern part of the city offered no major stand, but explosions were heard and fires were seen south of the wide and deep Pasig river barrier which splits the city in two.

The Japanese may put up a bitter and bloody fight for the historic and commercial center of Manila, but for those who might survive, there will be no escape.

Camp Closest to American Hearts

.While the 37th division cautiously pushed through the Grace park airdrome from the north Saturday night, First cavalry spearheads circled into the city from the east and Sunday morning reached Santo Tomas university grounds and threw a protective cordon around its concentration camp.

Santo Tomas is perhaps the area in Manila closest to American and British hearts. Within Santo Tomas the American and British civilians—3000 men and women at one time—have waited deliverance for three long years.

Front line reports said ambulances already were bringing out the Santo Tomas prisoners.

Malaeanan palace, in Yank hands, was the historic residence successively of Spanish and American governors general, American high commissioners and from the birth of the Philippine republic until the hurried departure on Christmas eve, 1941, of the late Pres. Manuel Quezon.

It was just three years and six weeks ago that the last units of MacArthur's tired, outnumbered Filipino and American forces left the capital.

Paratroopers Lead Way

With the First cavalry and 37th infantry divisions already within Manila, a new paratroop invasion behind enemy lines in Batangas province spearheaded the 11th air-borne division's drive along a straight, downhill road 18 miles from the southernfringes of the city.

This first paratroop landing of the Philippines campaign bolstered the 11th air-borne's invasion of the Batangas province coast last Wednesday.

The First cavalry division, fighting in memory of their former commander, Lt. Gen. Jonathan W. Wainwright, who was captured by the invading Japanese in early 1942, was the first to enter Manila.

Old Glory

Waves

On Manila

By Associated Press

The American flag flies once more over Manila, replacing the Japanese Sun banner raised over the city Jan. 2, 1942, and ending a, marathon campaign uncqualed in military history.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur said: "I will return," that bitter March day in 1942 when a U. S. submarine brought him to, Australia from crumbling Corregidor

in Manila bay.

A mighty army, navy and air force team made his promise

come true.

The Japanese landed on the Luzon island north coast- Dec. 10, 1941, to start the invasion that took Manila and later hammered the weakened American- Filipino army into submission on Bataan and Corregidor.

Jump Was Short

It was only a 250-mile jump for the Nipponese, from Formosa to the Luzon north coast, and not much farther, as far Pacific war distances go, to. make their other landings on the west and south coasts of Luzon.

The Americans traveled 10 to 20 times farther in their comeback. It is 2600 miles from the Papuan peninsula, New Guinea, where the Yanks and the Australians

turned back the Japanese threat to Port Moresby, doorway to Australia and farthest

south penetration of the Nipponese army.

Once stopped outside Port Moresby, the Japanese began a reluctant retreat Sept. ,26, 1942. The Yanks were on their way back to Manila, via the Solomons,

the Admiralties, Dutch New Guinea and the Moluccas.

U. S. First Pours

Through Hole

In Western Wall

Cuts Siegfried Line Below Aachen;

Bends Back Flank of Nazis'

Powerful Roer River Defenses

PARIS, Feb. 4 UP)—

The U. S. First army ripped a hole all the way through the west wall southeast of Aachen and 29 milesfrom the Rhine Sunday, bending back the south flank of the

enemy's powerful Roer river defense which block an allied drive to the Ruhr and Rhineland.

The north wing of four assulting divisions swung east four and a half miles, knifing through two villages—one of them a mile and a half from the vital Roer river dams beyond the west wall, where the enemy has been opening gates, flooding the valley and balking a push farther north.