1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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African 82d Div and E African 22d Brig, as well as
Burma National Army.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army’s I Corps area,
37th Div is directed to relieve 25th Div in Santa Fe
sector and drive N astride Highway 5 toward
Aritao on 31st. Elements of 128th Inf, 32d Div, take
Imugan and establish contact with 126th Inf, which
has been attached to 25th Div. Corps is ordered to
exploit breakthrough. Philippine guerrilla forces are
placed under corps and ordered to capture Cervantes.
In XI Corps area, 1st Bn of 149th Inf takes
Wawa Dam without opposition. This is the last
major objective of corps E of Manila.
NEGROS—In U.S. Eighth Army area in Negros
Oriental, 164th Inf finishes clearing enemy from
ridge positions and begins extensive mopping up
operations.
OKINAWA—Continuing air attacks in strength,
Japanese planes hit a number of ships and sink USS
Drexler (DD). More than a hundred enemy planes,
including kamikazes, are shot down. This is the last
strong enemy air effort against Okinawa. In U.S.
Tenth Army area, weather conditions improve
briefly, permitting more extensive action. In III
Amphib Corps area, marines of 22d Regt, 6th Mar
Div, in. Naha push forward to the Kokuba estuary
with ease but evoke strong reaction when trying to
reconnoiter Ona-Yama I., in Naha Harbor. Engineers
bridge the canal in Naha after nightfall. 29th
Marines relieves 4th Marines and advances almost
to the Kokuba. 5th Marines, 1st Mar Div, takes
Beehive Hill on lower end of Shuri Ridge. In XXIV
Corps area, 32d Inf of 7th Div confines its activity
to patrolling; 184th Inf is held up by opposition at
Hill 69, N of Karadera village.
29 May
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army area, I Corps prepares
for operation to clear Cagayan Valley. 37th Div
is to attack through 25th Div toward Aritao
while Philippine guerrilla forces seize Cervantes.
Each will then be prepared to move into Cagayan
Valley. 25th and 32d Divs have security missions.
129th Inf, 37th Div, motors to Santa Fe for drive
on Aritao.
MINDANAO—In U.S. Eighth Army’s X Corps
area, 19th Inf of 24th Div opens westward drive
on Mandog, last enemy defensive position at N
edge of Davao Plain, employing 3d Bn and assisted
by aircraft.
OKINAWA—In U.S. Tenth Army’s III Amphib
Corps area, 6th Mar Div drives eastward with 29th
Marines on left and 22d on right. 22d Marines
crosses canal into E Naha, where enemy is prepared
to make a stand. 1st Bn of 5th Marines, 1st Mar
Div, takes Shuri Ridge, S of Wana Draw, and
[ 29–31 MAY 1945 ]
crosses into 77th Div zone to occupy undefended
Shuri Castle at 1015. Bypassing enemy opposition,
1st Marines moves forward and relieves 1st Bn, 5th
Marines. In XXIV Corps area, 77th Div is pressing
southward toward Shuri. On 7th Div left, 184th Inf
continues to battle enemy at hill near Karadera.
30 May
SEAC—Adm Mountbatten meets in Delhi with
commanders of Operations ZIPPER and MAILFIST
(conquests of Malaya and Singapore, respectively)
and decides that these operations shall at first be
under command of 34 Corps and that hq of Fourteenth
Army and 15 Corps shall be moved in about
D plus 50.
OKINAWA—In U.S. Tenth Army’s III Amphib
Corps area, 2d and 3d Bns of 22d Marines, 6th
Mar Div, cross canal in Naha and attack through
1st Bn; assisted by direct tank fire, take Hill 27 at
SE edge of Naha. 1st Mar Div forces in Shuri are
being supplied by air and carrying parties. XXIV
Corps makes substantial gains as enemy rear-guard
opposition weakens. 77th Div takes 3 hills E of
Shuri (Dorothy, Jane, and Tom), former strongpoints
in enemy’s inner defenses of Shuri; find an
elaborate network of cave defenses on Dorothy.
Right flank elements of 77th Div cross into III Amphib
Corps zone and begin attack for 100 Meter Hill.
96th Div pushes forward all along its front, clearing
most of its zone N of Yonabaru–Shuri–Naha
road. Among hill positions taken are Hen Hill,
which enemy has successfully defended for 9 days,
Love Hill, and reverse slope of Oboe. In coordinated
westward attack, 32d Inf of 7th Div seizes Oak,
Ella, and June Hills, SW of Yonawa; patrols of
184th Inf push into Chinen Peninsula without
incident.
31 May
SEAC—Since British and U.S. interests in Asia
are now widely divergent, U.S. Air Forces units, including
Tenth Air Force and U.S. components of
EAC, are withdrawn from SEAC and returned to
operational control of AAF. EAC is inactivated.
India-Burma Theater is to support China as a diversion
for operations in the Pacific while SEAC
prepares to recapture Malaya and Singapore.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army’s I Corps area,
129th Inf of 37th Div opens northward drive into
Cagayan Valley from Santa Fe along Highway 5.
Forward elements reach positions 6,000 yards N of
Santa Fe. TF Connolly (Maj Robert V. Connolly,
123d Inf) is organized and attached to the guerrilla
U.S. Army Forces in the Philippines (Northern
Luzon) for drive on Aparri. The TF, about 800