The Pittsburgh Press (April 14, 1945)
Jap counterattack fails on Okinawa
U.S. troops resume slow advance
GUAM (UP) – Troops of three Army divisions battled slowly through Southern Okinawa today after turning back a strong Jap counterattack along the Naha defense lines.
The attack was made by between 500 and 750 Japs and a large proportion of them were killed in the futile attempt to check the American drive.
Although ground artillery and heavy naval guns continued an intense pounding of the enemy positions, the troops were unable to make any substantial gains and their advances were measured in yards.
Marines gain
Marines in Northern Okinawa, however, were moving ahead on Motobu Peninsula and Ishikawa Isthmus against ineffective resistance.
A Jap communiqué claimed that suicide planes were still attacking U.S. warships around Okinawa and that an additional 12 vessels were sunk or damaged.
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz disclosed that Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher’s fast carrier force had destroyed 1,200 Jap planes in less than four weeks.
In the last three days alone, more than 228 planes were destroyed throughout the Ryukyu chain, of which Okinawa is the principal island.
Blast Formosa
Disclosure of these results indicated that some 2,000 Jap planes had been destroyed or damaged since March 18. The others were accounted for by British carriers, land-based Army, Navy and Marine planes and Superfortresses.
The British task force destroyed 17 enemy planes and damaged five in an attack on airdromes on Formosa Thursday. Tokyo reported that about 70 carrier planes raided Formosa again yesterday for the second straight day.
U.S. carrier planes destroyed 13 other Jap aircraft in the Northern Ryukyus yesterday and in addition sank 23 barges and small craft.