Salt Lake Telegram | 1944-11-08 | Page 2 | Tokyo Reshuffles Philippine Chiefs

Tokyo Reshuffles Philippine Chiefs By Associated Press Tokyo's war w lords replaced all top ranking land sea el and air commanders commanders commanders com com- manders in the Philippines Wednesday Wednesday Wed Ved in an effort to halt th the c American onslaught ht which In tw two o successive days wiped out more mar e planes and sank or damaged 29 2 9 ships Strong units of the division division divi diva sion lion punched their way slowly through h well entrenched Japanese on northern Leyte island Tuesday y in bitter fighting fighting- marked b by y vicious night counterattacks an anthe and d the tho first heavy artillery duels o othe of f the Philippines invasion Homo Front Fear Japanese militarists w worried o 0 r r i led c cover d over the safety of ot the home front admitted the Philippines invasion n may force the conquerors of or th the ne e southern Islands to shift for themselves them selves New evacuations of ot nonessential civilians from 11 it major Japanese cities In preparation for inevitable e enemy air raids were ordered t to eo o start a week from Wednesday Reinforcements and sup p plies 1 i 1 e s were rushed to garrisons in th the e and Bonin islands island guardIng guarding guard guard- Ing ins the northern and southern approaches approaches approaches ap ap- to Tokyo where American American Ameri Ameri- American can bombers extended their attacks attacks attacks at at- tacks to new targets The Nipponese Philippine command command com com- mand nand was completely reshuffled reshuffle d dt on the heels of the heaviest recen recent t carrier strike on Manila bay an and d surrounding airports on Luzon Luzo n island In two days Sunday and Monday Monday Monday Mon Mon- day Manila time Adm Chester Cheste r W W. Nimitz announced Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese planes were destroyed an and d 29 ships and a trawler hit These included d two warships sunk a heavy cruiser probably sunk Runk eight warships damaged and four merchant ships definitely sunk Most of ot the planes were destroyed destroyed destroyed de de- on seven bomb cra bomb cratered ered I airfields Twenty nine other enemy enemy enemy en en- emy aircraft were knocked out by by Gen Douglas MacArthurs MacArthur's bombers and fighters over the central and southern islands andin andIn and andin in repulsing a raid on Morota Luzon ground installations were heavily damaged by the carrier planes American infantrymen men appeared to be shoving the Japanese out of dominating ridges In the bitter battle of Horseshoe bend on the northern road leading ding to the enemy's enemy last stronghold on on Leyte Heavy Japanese artillery shells hells were lobbed into American positions positions positions on Carigara bay by accurate gunners while big Yank field rifles and dive-bombing dive fighter planes raked the tortuous road from Horseshoe bend to Strong Entrenchment Strong entrenchment of ot Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese now including elements of ot four divisions fierce counterattacks counterattacks counterattacks tacks and persistent infiltration slowed the advance of at the U. U S. S division A new army air commander and two vice admirals to take charge of the navys navy's Philippine air forces also were named as Japanese at home were told increased air production production pro pro- was an urgent necessity