June 23, 1945; Deth/Fighting Continues on Okinawa:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JUNE 23, 1945:

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, SATURDAY MORNING, JUNE 23, 1945

Die-Hard Japs

Slaughtered
On Okinawa

Resistance Is Slight,

However, Nimitz
Reports

By Associated Press

GUAM, June 23.—Slaughter of Japanese die-hards on Okinawa, where more than 90,000 have been killed, and more mass, surrenders, swelling the bag well beyond 4,000 continued Friday as the American flag waved in victory over that potential staging base for -the next invaion.

Nippon still lashed back from an invasion-jittery homeland with the air arm, however, sinking two light American 'vessels, heavily damaging an auxiliary unit and slightly damaging two other light units, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz acknowledged in today's communique.

596 Japs Killed

Tenth Army patrols, working over three weakly resisting pockets, killed 596 Nipponese in all sectors Thursday night and early Friday.

 

 

Emperor Hirohito

May Take Over Japan

By Associated Press

A Tokyo - radio commentator, unidentified, said Friday that if Nippon's war situation should become more serious Emperor Hirohito possibly would invoke "imperial supreme authority" and take personal command of the empire.

 

Aparri, Luzon Port, Foils,

Bottling Up Jap Forces

By Associated Press MANILA, June 23,—Aparri, northern Luzon port at

the mouth of the Cagayan valley, has been captured by elements of the U.S. 6th Army reinforced by Filipino guerrillas, General Douglas MacArthur announced Saturday.

This bottles up the large Japanese forces still in the Cagayan Valley to the southward and seals the enemy's only escape port from Luzon.

Forces Spreading Out

MacArlhur's communique said that American and guerrilla forces were spreading: out rapidly southward. Guerrillas previously had captured the Cagayan Province capital of Tuguegarao, 65 road miles south of Aparri, while the U.S. 37th Division took Ilagan, 35 miles farther south.

 

B-29s Destroy

Japan's Last
Naval Arsenal

By Associated Press

GUAM, Saturday, June 23.—Hundreds of American Superforts blasted a huge Japanese naval arsenal and five aircraft factories in daylight Friday with 3,000 tons

of demolition bombs, expanding the destruction already spread over more than 112 square miles of Nippon's industrial areas in previous B-29 raids.

Tokyo broadcast a Japanese' communique claim that 26 of the Superforts that pounded Honshu Island targets were shot down.

In Washington the 20th Airforce headquarters announces that four planes, were missing.

Japanese air opposition was ineffective over all the targets, the communique said, but added that flak varied from moderate to intense.

 

Carrier Planes

Hit Sumatra,

Tokyo Claims

By Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO, June 22.—

Radio Tokyo Friday reiterated its report that two Allied task forces were prowling off Sakishima, southwest of Okinawa, and said two waves of Allied carrier-borne planes strafed the Medan sector of Sumatra on Wednesday.

Another broadcast sought to pep up the home front with the claim that Japanese troops had recaptured "several islets" off Peleliu in the Palau group.

Claim U.S. Casualties

Nipponese "army and marine" forces, which have been hiding out on Peleliu since the American invasion last year, have taken a toll of 'more than 1,000 enemy casualties" in island-hopping raids since May, Tokyo declared.

Southern Palau is held by Americans. Northern islands in the group remain in Japanese possession.

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