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US! TROOPS LAND
ON OKINAWA
Biggest Amphibious
Move in Pacific
ROYAL NAVY ASSISTS
: NEW YORK, April 1 (A.A.P.).
Admiral Nimitz, commander of the U.S.
Fifth Fleet, announced that American forces
have landed on Okinawa, main island in the
Ryyku chain of islands, 350 miles south of
Kyushu, one of the main islands of Japan.
In . making the announcement, Admiral
Nimitz said it was the biggest amphibious
operation of the war in the Pacific.
The landing was carried out
by U.S. marines, constituting a
special attack force. A week
ago landings were made on two
small islands west of Okinawa,
in preparatlqn.:for the major, as-
Sflnltv " "
- The -biggest" task force everfhs-
sembled in the Pacific, Including
vessels of the Royal Navy, sup
ported the landing.
Okinawa has five all- fields,
and two-thirds of its area can
be used for military purposes.
The official Domel News Agency
said:— "The enemy's main in
vasion force, comprising four' or
.five groups of various- warcraft
-centred around battleships and
cruisers, is still cruising west and
south of- Okinawa, and is con
tinuing bombardment of the
Islands in - the south-western sec
tion.!',.;. / ;
- Another Tokio- Radio report
said;, "jlapanese army planes are
attacking the full American Fleet
off -Okinawa . Island. . The battle
will be as fierce as the second
Battle of the Philippines — the
American landing at Leyte."
t United -States battleships and
light units on Friday heavily
shelled shore installations on
Okinawa at close range. They
breached the sea walls and
heavily , hit defences,, gun posi
tions, air fields and bridges. -
American carrier aircraft at
tacked numerous targets on Okl-
pawa, destroying four submarine
pens and two torpedo boats in
the submarine ; base i at Unten
Bay, on the island's west coast.
Carrier aircraft and heavy, war
ships on Saturday continued at
tacks on Okinawa. !
A British carrier task force on
Saturday struck ' targets in the
Saklshima Group.
jDcspatches . .... from Admiral,
Mitclier's " flagship describe
Okinawa as a scene of utter
desolation. A cloud of olack
smoke covers the island. Pilots
saw no human activity through
llic rifts, and it Is considered
the Japanese have taken to the <
rugged northern hills in order
to escape the bombardment.
According to Tokio Radio,
about 15 battleships have joined
the Allied forces shelling - the
Okinawa area. American mine
sweepers are preparing for land
ing operations. A powerful trans
port armada is closely following
the task force."
American heavy war ships on
March 27 and 28 night shelled
barracks, warehouses - the radio
station. ammunition dumns.
| buildings and the aerodrome on
; Minami Daito Islands. Fast
United States carrier planes on
March 28 and 29 in and around
i Kyushu-, and the Ryukyu Islands
sank two destroyer escorts, one
medium freighter, ten small
freighters, four luggers, one
M.T.B., and probably sank nine
medium and five small freighters
They also damaged one destroyer
escort, 13 small freighters and
one medium freighter.
Royal Navy's Part
The Washington "Army and
Navy Journal" reported Brit
ish circles talking .of taking Truk
for the Royal Navy's use. Brit
ish plans call for the seizure of
strategic Islands In the Nether
lands East Indies and the recap
ture of; Singapore.
A "New York Times" corre
spondent; on .board the British
fleet, train's" . flagship, said: —
"In the.., current -.strike against
the Ryukyus, the .Royal . Navy
Is fighting ; 4000 '.miles from the
nearest base In Australia.
| -.! 'This -abrupt departure- from
; ancient tradition of limiting the
| Royal Navy to bases a thousand
-miles apart" was nerrnmnUshpH
through the new fleet 'train,'
consisting of a -vast collection of
repair and supply vessels Rbie to
render any service from thRt of
a hospital to repair and replace
ment of aircraft.
"The fleqt 'train,' which will
eventually total over 100 ships,
includes a number of Australian
vessels, a Danish tanker and a
Dutch hospital ship.
"The maintenance of a long-
range fleet heretofore was purely
an American problem, but, Iron
ically, the British and American
naval positions have been re
versed. The United. States Navy
now has a string of bases across
the Pacific to the enemy door
step, enabling a war with a
short-range fleet," said the cor
respondent.
$