Show I Japs Trapped in Manila Harass Yanks With Mortars Rockets MAL MANILA ILA Feb 10 INS Japanese INS Japanese defense of Manila south of f the river was intensified Saturday as their mortar rocket and automatic rifle fire made a no mans man's land of the area Americans held in comparative safety Friday It was an eerie feeling behind tone stone walls jeeps and trees in park where Friday you could walk upright without fear fear- The roadway which was clogged with tra traffic to the river Friday afternoon was deserted Saturday Satur- Satur Saturday I day ay morning a lonely passage passage through which Jap bullets whined to o thud into houses walls wails and trees Soldiers sat in shelter of thick concrete walls communications men who had to string wire across the he river as soon as they felt it safe afe to row a boat through Jap gunfire Yanks Lie Low Friday boats operated in continuous con- con continuous shuttle to move our forces across cross this spot Two dead soldiers wrapped in gunny sacking lay on stretchers stretch- stretch ers em rs beside a house which bullets now and then passed over For three blocks soldiers were forced breed to lie low under bullets fired ired by Japs who swam across the river Friday night to hide in buildings buildings buildings build build- ings near palace A few bullets splashed in the river water one broke the windshield windshield wind- wind shield of a weapons carrier parked at the ferry head From tho the river came a a. shout Hey where are you guys A soldier shouted back Behind Behind Behind Be hind this damned wall where you ought to be An officer from a boat climbed the he rivers river's concrete wall saying Come on lets let's string this wire Men moved quickly to the weapons weapons weapons ons carrier with a roll of wire and pulled the wire end to the boat and began egan rowing fast while one man stood tood upright stringing the line to many wires already taken to theother theether the theother other ether side Across the river everyone was prone Joseph Huto of Masena Massena Massena Mas- Mas sena ena N. N Y a a. former aluminum factory worker worter stood by his truck They started building a bridge here yesterday but it got so hot they hey had to move up I 1 was wasn in n a barge when mortar shells and rockets hit right near us Four guys went overboard Those rockets rocket look like little black blackballs blackballs blackballs balls coming at you When they pass Dass you can see them about two feet long Reporters Scram A Jeep with four wounded hurried hurried hur hur- ried ned by The front line is a longway long longway longway way up with small arms and automatic automatic automatic au au- au- au rifle fire on the river front coming from Japs who infiltrated during the night Where Huto sat behind his truck Japs were firing from both sides of the river nver from buildings around park on the south and palace on our side of ot the water |