| Show Yanks an 5 Sink In Ten en Ships Off Leyte Lete t Nipponese Throw More Troops Into Battle Philippines War Flames Into Savage Fight With Men Involved Fliers Blast 3 Transports 7 Destroyers By C. C Yates leDaniel 1 GENERAL MAC ARTHURS ARTHUR'S HEADQUARTERS Philip- Philip whose die or Nov 11 UP Japans Japan's Japans Japan's tiger of Malaya stand on Leyte has flamed into a savage battle involving more than men poured thousands of fresh Nipponese against the Yanks Saturday after landing landing landing land land- ing them from a fa a ship 19 convoy at a cost of three e transports and seven destroyers Gen Tomoyuki Y mashita taking tak ing great risks with Japans Japan's dwindling dwindling dwin dwin- dUng reserve of cargo vessels and escort warships got reinforcements reinforcements reinforce reinforce- ments to despite determined determined determined deter deter- mined attacks spaced over a 24 hour period by American planes and patrol torpedo boats A heavy rain squall prolonging a previous cover of darkness favored the w r gamble The reinforcements which reasonably rea rca might exceed buttressed buttressed buttressed but but- other enemy troops s thre re fresh divisions moved 1 in inon o on western Leyte to replace ce 35 casualties already inflicted by four toUr American divisions Cr Crucial Battle Loom Looms Looms' The biggest biggest and most crucial crucIal land engagement since Gen Douglas Douglas Doug Doug- las Ian MacArthur returned to the Philippines Oct 20 is developing Both sides are well equipped and backed by heavy artillery The enemy convoy of four ton transports and 15 destroyers the the Japanese frequently use me the swift destroyers for troop carrying carrying carry carry- ing as well wen as escort duty was duty was spotted by U. U S. S airmen Thursday afternoon as it entered bay Lightning fighters with wilh pound 1000 explosives Mitchell Mitch Mitch- ell eli ell medium bombers went in at atlow atlow atlow low level Ships' Ships guns dotted the skies with bursting ack ack The Yank fliers were in small force but left a transport smoking before before before be be- fore breaking of off the engagement Thursday night patrol torpedo boats darted in and out of de destroyer destroyer destroyer de- de searchlight paths slipped sUpped by geysers churned up by inch five guns and succeeded in sinking a a. warship Great Explosion When the fish hit the destroyer there was a huge orange explosion explosion explosion sion almost like a phosphorus bomb Lt Joseph Beckman of Tacoma Wash later told Dean Associated Press war correspondent A great sheet of flames shot high into the air from the ship At dawn Friday Mitchells In lii force took the air But a rain squall blotted out the newly arrived arrived ar are ar- ar rived convoy When that cleared the Japanese billowed a 3 smoke smokescreen smokescreen mok screen over the ships A Japanese air cover o of more than 20 planes was routed At least 16 were shot down possibly five more By noon the Mitchells got to work They hey sank three transports ts and s 's six c destroyers The enemy had achieved sizable landings but buthis buthis buthis his work wasn't all done Capt Edward Maurer o of Nyack N. N Y who led one flight of ot Mitchells Mitchells Mit Mil saw one transport go down downIn In 30 seconds Later he told Richard Continued on Page e Two Column Two 10 Big lap Jap Ships Sunk Off Leyte Leyle Continued from race rase Ono One Associated Press war correspondent correspondent correspondent dent Ill never forget the sight of oC that lr transport One minute you ou could see this huge shep sitting there behind the screen with troops diving diving- for cover allover all allover over the Ute dec deck The next second you could see ace a puff of oC flames a geyser of oC smoke amolee and the transport transport trans trans- port was gone bone All AU that was left was a column of smoke up to feet and an oil slick on the water plus a lot of bodies In the bay 1 The action ended late ate Friday when the convoy remnants fled west toward Cebu Tho The attack cost four bombers and four fight fight- ers era shifted in an emergency emergency emer emer- gency geney from Malaya to the Philippines Phil PhU- committed his reinforcements reinforcements reinforce reinforce- ments to a sector of ot Leyte covered covered cov coy ered by mountain ridges and crossed by a single narrow windIng winding winding wind wind- ing road from held American south to Japanese- Japanese held Yanks Move 10 Ahead Yanks moved north south and west against these Japanese from eastern Leyte whose ports airfields airfields airfields air air- fields and highway network were wrested swiftly from ill fated predecessor Lt Gen Shi- Shi Kuroda Moving south from Carigara bay dismounted First cavalry di division division dl di- vision Ision troops of Maj Gen Verne Vern D. D Mudge gained five miles mUes Friday in ridge e country on one flank of oC the road Down the thc road and in borderIng bordering bordering border border- ing high ground the infantry division of Maj Gen Frederick A. A Irving Ir encountered tough go go- ing Near hill 1525 they hurled back Japanese counterattacks inflicting in In- severe casualties Forced Back BackA A field dispatch Saturday from Spencer Davis Associated Press war correspondent reported one unit at another point was caught in enemy flanking tire lire and forced to lo pull back The scene of oC the thc actions was not specified but is believed to be generally in the Ute region of Limon four miles below Up in the ridges the First cavalry cay cay- airy alry was hurled back from one height but took it on the second attempt Moving out of ot on east- east central Leyte the division of Maj Gen James L. L Bradley cleaned out Nipponese pockets to push deeper into a range of mountains mountains mountains moun moun- from rom which American artillery artillery artillery artil artil- lery has been shelling A mystery of great importance is the whereabouts of oC the Ute Seventh infantry division of Maj aj Gen A Archibald Ar Archibald Ar- Ar V. V Arnold S Several veral days ago it was disclosed to be 12 miles mUes south of Cf after after- emerging on the west coast at Baybay Nothing Nothing Nothing Noth Noth- ing has been reported about it since |
