Millett: ‘They’re not our babies’
Yank triangles pose problem
By Ruth Millett
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Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
OKINAWA (by Navy radio) – Never before had I seen an invasion beach like Okinawa.
There wasn’t a dead or wounded man in our sector of it, medical corpsmen were sitting among their sacks of bandages and plasma and stretchers, with nothing to do.
There wasn’t a single burning vehicle. Not a single boat lying wrecked on the reef or shoreline. The carnage that is almost inevitable on an invasion was wonderfully and beautifully not there.
There was hardly anybody at all on the beach when we landed. The few assault waves ahead of us had pushed on inland. And all that vast welter of people and machines that make a beach hum with work were still many waves behind us.
The bulldozers and the jeeps had not yet arrived. There was no activity and hardly any sound. It was almost as though we were the original explorers.
Our little party, which was the regimental staff, moved to the foot of a bluff about 100 yards back of the beach. It was full of caves and our naval gunfire had made a rubble at the foot of the bluff. But several cave mouths still gapped open.
We decided to set up there until the colonel could get the picture in his mind, through information brought by runners, of just what was going on.
Kidded about his marksmanship
There were about a hundred men with us in addition to the officers. The men were under Sgt. Andy Anderson from Washington State. The first thing Andy had them do was to make sure there were no Japs hiding in the caves to snipe on us, for the first waves had gone through too fast to clean everybody out – if anybody had been there.
So, they would sneak up on a hole, with rifles ready. Then Andy would take out a hand grenade and throw it into the hole. But the first one hit the edge of the holes and rolled down outside.
Andy threw himself on the sand and all the rest of us lay flat. The grenade went off with a bang, but nobody got hurt. From then on, we kidded Andy about the fine display of Marine marksmanship he had given us.
In addition to being great fighters, I believe the Marines are the friendliest bunch I’ve ever been with. I’ve never had any trouble with people being unfriendly, but these Marines seem to have it bred into them to be pleasant and to make you feel at home.
Nothing like Okinawa had ever happened to them before. They’re accustomed to butchery on the beaches. They’d kept saying to me, “If you could just have been with us before, we’d have shown you some excitement.”
And I would reply, “Brother, I’ve had all the excitement I need for a lifetime. This kind of invasion suits me fine.”
The souvenir hunters
I started wandering up and down the beach. One boy was carrying a little vase in his hand, saying, “Here’s the first souvenir of Okinawa!”
He was James Cosby, pharmacist first class, of Cereal Spring, Illinois (All medical corpsmen with the Marines are actually in the Navy, you know). He had found the vase lying outside one of the burial vaults. It had blue Japanese characters on it.
Then I noticed a tall and heavily laden Marine, carrying a big roll of telephone wire on his shoulders and leading a white nanny goat, tied to a string. I stopped him, and said, “Would you like to have you and your goat in the newspapers?”
He grinned and said, “Sure, why not?”
He was Pvt. Ben Glover of Baird, Texas. He was a telephone lineman at home, and that’s what he is here. Linemen are always among the first ashore.
By evening of Love Day, scores of Marines had baby goats for pets and were leading them around. There are lots of goats on Okinawa and the little ones were so white and so cute that we animal-loving Americans couldn’t resist adopting them.
I saw one Marine who had commandeered a horse and had it carrying his pack. Another had a bicycle. By Love Day plus three, I’m sure they’ll be carrying little Japanese babies on their backs. Americans are the darndest people! Why can’t everybody be like them?
Gracie Allen Reporting
By Gracie Allen
HOLLYWOOD – Here’s an interesting bit of news. Gen. Eisenhower now receives as much fan mail as Frank Sinatra.
A lot of people will feel that that’s a strange comparison but frankly I don’t know which of them is the more dangerous profession. I’d just as soon face the Wehrmacht as a howling mob of bobbysoxers. And no German soldier has tried to tear off Gen. Eisenhower’s uniform and carry off his medals as souvenirs.
But I guess Gen. Eisenhower definitely tops Sinatra. Frankie only makes the girls swoon. The General has got the whole German High Command fainting.
Now, all the bobbysoxers will rise up and say that Gen. Eisenhower can’t “send ‘em” like Frankie can.
I disagree. Look how far he’s sent Patton.
Wallop Muncie, 14-0 –
Bucs’ batting power standout feature of training exhibitions
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Farley could have job –
O’Connor fades as possibility for czar post
By Joe Williams
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Requirements for war steel are critical
Allotments cut on maintenance, repair
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Defender photo supply, DuPont unit may merge
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Plea for Far East made by Indian woman leader
West urged to meet on common ground
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Two mentioned for loan job
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Japaner versenken weitere 17 Kriegsschiffe
Feindliche Flottenverbände ziehen sich zurück
Tokio, 9. April – Die Amerikaner haben seit Beginn ihrer Landungen auf Okinawa-Honto bis zum 7. April rund 600 Mann und über 100 Tanks verloren, während sich die Verluste der Japaner auf etwa 400 Mann belaufen.
Auch die Schiffsverluste des Gegners sind in den letzten Tagen noch erheblich gestiegen. Außer den bereits bekanntgegebenen Versenkungen verloren die Amerikaner noch ein großes Kriegsschiff unbekannter Klasse, drei Kreuzer, zehn Zerstörer, drei Minensucher und dreizehn Schiffe unbekannten Typs. Beschädigt wurden vier Kreuzer, vier Zerstörer, zwei Minensucher und acht Schiffe unbekannter Klasse.
Letzte Berichte vom Kriegsschauplatz in den Gewässern der Ryukyu-Inseln deuten darauf hin, dass sich die feindlichen Flottenverbände nach dem schweren Angriff japanischer Luft- und Flotteneinheiten mit erheblichen Verlusten in südlicher und östlicher Richtung zurückziehen.
Innsbrucker Nachrichten (April 10, 1945)
Amerika sucht die Verhältnisse in Algerien eindeutig für sich zu lösen
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Führer HQ (April 10, 1945)
Kommuniqué des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht
Zwischen Drau und Wienerwald zerschlugen unsere Truppen die Mehrzahl der feindlichen Angriffe. Um den Stadtkern von Wien wird am Franz-Josef-Bahnhof, beim Allgemeinen Krankenhaus, am Westbahnhof und nordwestlich der Ostbahnbrücke erbittert gekämpft. An der Marchmündung konnte der Gegner seinen Brückenkopf um einige Kilometer nach Nordwesten erweitern, während er zwischen der March und der oberen Neutra trotz zahlreicher Angriffe keinen wesentlichen Bodengewinn erzielte.
Südwestlich Ratibor dauern die örtlichen Kämpfe an. Gegen die Süd- und Westfront von Breslau traten die Bolschewisten nach der heftigen Feuervorbereitung erneut zum Angriff an, wurden aber von der standhaften Besatzung nach geringem Geländeverlust abgeschlagen.
Am Zugang zur Putziger Nehrung und in der westlichen Weichselniederung blieben feindliche Vorstöße wiederum erfolglos.
Unterstützt durch Schlacht- und Kampffliegerverbände und starkes Artilleriefeuer setzten die Sowjets ihre Angriffe gegen Königsberg von allen Seiten mit erdrückender Übermacht fort. Die tapfere Besatzung verteidigte jedes Haus gegen den bis in das Stadtinnere eingedrungenen Feind mit großer Standhaftigkeit.
Im Norden der Westfront hat sich die Lage zwischen Ems und Weser im wesentlichen nicht verändert. Gegen den tapferen Widerstand unserer Fallschirmjäger und Grenadiere konnten die über die Linie Meppen–Bramsche weiter vordrängenden Engländer nur schrittweise Boden gewinnen.
Zwischen der unteren Weser und dem Raum von Hildesheim stieß der Gegner mit einzelner Angriffsgruppen weiter nach Osten vor und schob sich näher an Hannover heran. Weiter südlich haben sich die Kämpfe von der Weser an die Leine verlagert. Göttingen ging nach hartem Kampf verloren.
Am Nordrand des Ruhrgebietes, nördlich der Sieg und im Ostteil des Sauerlandes halten unsere Divisionen dem pausenlos angreifenden Gegner stand. Trotz mehrerer tiefen Einbrüche blieb der Zusammenhang der Front durch immer wiederholte Gegenangriffe gewahrt.
Im Thüringerwald stehen die Besatzungen zahlreicher Stützpunkte im Kampf mit überlegenem Feind und verhindern so durch aufopfernden Einsatz das weitere Vordringen der Amerikaner. Auch bei Schleusingen blieb dem Feind durch unsere Gegenangriffe größerer Bodengewinn versagt. Dagegen gelang es amerikanischen Panzerkräften, zwischen Hildburghausen und dem Main weiter nach Südosten vorzustoßen.
Im Raum von Schweinfurt zwang wirkungsvolles Feuer unserer Flakartillerie den Gegner zu Boden.
Im Rücken des Feindes verbliebene eigene Kampfgruppen überfallen die amerikanischen Versorgungskolonnen und fügen durch diese Kleinkriegstaktik dem Gegner hohe Verluste zu.
Im Raum nordwestlich Crailsheim versucht der Feind die westlich der Stadt eingeschlossene Kampfgruppe zu entsetzen. Heftige Kämpfe mit unseren zu Gegenangriffen angetretenen Kräften sind im Gange.
Im Abschnitt zwischen Heilbronn und Ettlingen hält der starke Druck an. Unsere Jagd- und Schlachtfliegerverbände griffen mit Bomben und Bordwaffen wirksam in die Erdkämpfe ein und schossen elf anglo-amerikanische Flugzeuge ab.
An der Ligurischen Küste setzten die Angloamerikaner ihre Angriffe mit starken Kräften fort und konnten nach schweren, verlustreichen Kämpfen in Massa eindringen.
Südwestlich des Comacchio-Sees gelang es dem nach stärkstem Artillerie- und Schlachtfliegereinsatz angreifenden Gegner, unseren um Lugo vorspringenden Frontbogen zurückzudrücken.
In Nordwestdalmatien stehen unsere Stützpunktbesatzungen im Abwehrkampf gegen fortgesetzte Angriffe starker Bandenkräfte.
Angloamerikanische Terrorbomber richteten am Tage ihre Angriffe besonders gegen Orte im süd- und nordwestdeutschen Raum. In der Nacht flogen britische Verbände Mittel- und Nordwestdeutschland an. 27 meist viermotorige Bomber wurden zum Absturz gebracht.
Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (April 10, 1945)
FROM
(A) SHAEF MAIN
ORIGINATOR
PRD, Communique Section
DATE-TIME OF ORIGIN
101100B April
TO FOR ACTION
(1) AGWAR
(2) NAVY DEPARTMENT
TO (W) FOR INFORMATION (INFO)
(3) TAC HQ 12 ARMY GP
(4) MAIN 12 ARMY GP
(5) AIR STAFF MAIN
(6) ANCXF
(7) EXFOR MAIN
(8) EXFOR REAR
(9) DEFENSOR, OTTAWA
(10) CANADIAN C/S, OTTAWA
(11) WAR OFFICE
(12) ADMIRALTY
(13) AIR MINISTRY
(14) UNITED KINGDOM BASE
(15) SACSEA
(16) CMHQ (Pass to RCAF & RCN)
(17) COM ZONE
(18) SHAEF REAR
(19) SHAEF MAIN
(20) HQ SIXTH ARMY GP
(REF NO.)
NONE
(CLASSIFICATION)
IN THE CLEAR
Communiqué No. 367
UNCLASSIFIED: Allied forces overcame enemy resistance at Meppen and after crossing the Ems River made good advances northward beyond Lathen. East of Lingen, our units occupied Fürstenau.
South of Bremen, we captured Bassum and Riede where enemy resistance is stiffening. Armored elements have captured Niedernstocken on the Leine River and farther south other units have secured bridges intact across the river in the area of Neustadt am Rübenberge and have continued their advance.
Our units crossed the Leine River at Ricklingen, northwest of Hanover, and other elements reached a point five miles from the western edge of the city. To the south our armor captured Gestorf and cleared Hildesheim, while infantry crossed the Leine River south of the town and pushed seven miles eastward.
Northwest of Göttingen, elements which crossed the Weser River reached Bodenfelde and are fighting in Offensen and Eberhausen.
South of Göttingen, we took Diemarden and Reinhausen. We are across the Leine River on an 11-mile front from Göttingen south to a point just northeast of Witzenhausen.
East of Mühlhausen, our armor and infantry entered Altenhausen and reached the vicinity of Klettstedt.
East of Gotha, our infantry is in the vicinity of Nottleben, while farther south other elements are near Crawinkel and Stutzhaus. To the west, we repulsed a counterattack near Tambach-Dietharz.
Northeast of Suhl, we reached the vicinity of Stützerbach after repulsing a small counterattack. In the area 15 miles south of Suhl our armored elements occupied Bedheim.
Gompertshausen and Rieth, south of Bedheim, were reached by our armored elements after a 12-mile advance.
We are within four miles of Schweinfurt on both the north and south sides.
East of Ochsenfurt our armor reached Dormheim after a six-mile gain.
The southern point of the Crailsheim salient was widened against strong ground resistance supported by enemy air attacks.
Farther west our troops have pushed south from the Jagst River and forced the enemy back toward the Kocher River.
House-to-house fighting continued in Heilbronn.
Brackenheim, southwest of Heilbronn, has been captured.
South of Karlsruhe the enemy continues to hold out in the Siegfried Line fortifications.
Targets at Niderstetten, Neuenstadt and Kochendorf were attacked by fighter-bombers operating ahead of our ground forces.
In the Ruhr Pocket our infantry entered the northwestern part of Essen after meeting fairly stiff resistance. Southwest of Soest we cleared Werl and reached Wiehagen.
On the eastern side of the pocket our forces reached Hirschberg and took Meschede, moth southwest of Rüthen, our armor cleared Fredeburg, northwest of Schmallenberg, while southwest of the city we captured Saalhausen and Heinsburg.
North of Siegen we entered Hilchenbach and Büschhutten.
Ten airfields in an area 60 miles square around München, an oil storage depot at Neuberg, and an explosive plant at Wolfratshausen were attacked yesterday by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength while 13 airfields from north of Hanover southward to Ingolstadt were bombed and strafed by fighter-bombers. One hundred sixty-eight enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground and many others were damaged in these attacks.
Railyards at Jena, Saalfeld, Bamberg, Stuttgart and near Leipzig and road and rail transport north of Nordhausen and in the Nürnberg area were attacked by medium, light and fighter-bombers.
Other medium and light bombers attacked an oil refinery at Dedenhausen, oil storage depots at Bad Berka and Weißenhorn, an armored vehicle depot southwest of Leipzig, and an ordnance depot at Amberg while supply and ammunition dumps near Erfurt and at Kleinengstingen were hit by medium and fighter-bombers.
Gun positions in the Zutphen sector were silenced by medium bombers.
Enemy transport and communications in Holland and northwestern Germany were attacked by fighter bombers.
U-boat shelters and oil storage depots at Hamburg were bombed by escorted heavy bombers. Twenty-two thousand pound and 12,000-pound bombs were dropped.
During the day’s operations 21 enemy aircraft were shot down. According to reports so far received, 11 of our bombers and ten fighters are missing.
Last night, heavy bombers were over Germany in very great strength with the shipbuilding yards at Kiel as their main objective. Targets in Berlin, and enemy movement over a wide area of Germany, were attacked by light bombers.
COORDINATED WITH: G-2, G-3 to C/S
THIS MESSAGE MAY BE SENT IN CLEAR BY ANY MEANS
/s/
Precedence
“OP” - AGWAR
“P” - Others
ORIGINATING DIVISION
PRD, Communique Section
NAME AND RANK TYPED. TEL. NO.
D. R. JORDAN, Lt Col FA4655
AUTHENTICATING SIGNATURE
/s/
U.S. Navy Department (April 10, 1945)
CINCPOA Communiqué No. 328
After beating off two small counterattacks on Motobu Peninsula on the evening of April 9 (East Longitude Date), Marines of the III Amphibious Corps on Okinawa continued their advance on April 10, moving their lines generally about 2,500 yards westward to the Manna River on the south and Unten Bay on the north. Enemy submarine pens at Unten Bay and other installations were captured. On Ishikawa Isthmus, Marines moved northward to the vicinity of Tsuwa Village.
The XXIV Army Corps in the southern sector of the Okinawa battle continued to meet stubborn enemy resistance along its entire front. At 1800 on April 10 there were no substantial changes in the lines. Backed by heavy artillery fire, the enemy made several unsuccessful counterattacks against our positions. Army troops were supported by intense Marine and Army artillery fire by carrier aircraft and by naval gunfire from major units of the Pacific Fleet.
Elements of the XXIV Army Corps landed on Tsugen Island about ten miles off the east coast of Okinawa on the morning of April 10 encountering some enemy resistance.
At the end of April 8, our forces on Okinawa had killed 5,009 of the enemy and had taken 222 prisoners of war. At that time, 43,378 civilians were under care of the U.S. Military Government.
Search aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One bombed hangars and barracks on Tanega Island in the northern Ryukyus on April 10.
Army Black Widow night-fighters strafed and bombed installations in the Bonins on the night of April 9-10. VII Fighter Command Mustangs bombed docks and shipping at Chichi Jima on April 10 scoring a hit on a small cargo ship.
Targets in the Palaus were struck by Hellcat and Corsair fighters of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing on April 10.