By Land, Sea and Air

With words of praise for work well done, Lieut. General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. pulled the battle-weary 27th and 96th Divisions out of the line on Okinawa last week, replaced them with the 1st Marine and 77th Army Divisions. But there was no rest for the weary. In a wild night and morning of tactical razzle-dazzle the Japs struck by land, sea and air.

Down the island's coasts, to start the action, came Japanese infantrymen in landing craft. Some marines came out of the forward areas, and 96th Division units moved up from their rest area to meet the threat.

Then the night bombers struck. Antiaircraft guns filled the sky with arching tracer fire as the planes came in to hit the U.S.-held Yonton airstrip. Some of the bombs caused damage; one hit a hospital, killing twelve people.

Kamikaze Navy. Almost simultaneously guns roared out from the U.S. ships anchored off the island. Torpedo-nosed Jap suicide boats were attacking in force. Blinding flashes filled the night as the little boats were hit and exploded. Fifteen of them were destroyed; one got through and damaged a ship.

With the dawn came still heavier fighting. On the east end of the battle line Jap infantrymen came out of their foxholes to attack the 7th and 77th Division fronts. For the first time on Okinawa they brought tanks into action. The Japs poured through 1,500 yards at one place before they were wiped out. Through the morning furious fighting raged until the assault subsided and the Americans struck back over the bodies of 3,000 Japs.

Meanwhile the fleet was again heavily engaged. For an hour and a half Japanese bombers, Kamikaze crash-dive planes and baka bomb pilots smashed at U.S. shipping. When it was all over, U.S. gunners, ashore, afloat and aloft, could count up 168 enemy planes and one baka bomb destroyed.

But the ships had paid a price. Five light units were lost, one other damaged. ("Light unit" presumably meant a destroyer or smaller vessel.) Earlier in the week two light units had been sent down by Kamikaze attack. All told, 24 U.S. vessels have been sunk since the start of the campaign seven weeks ago.

The Costs. And the toll in lives was mounting. The Tenth Army has lost 2,337 killed, 11,432 wounded and 514 missing. The fleet was last reported to have lost 1,131 killed, 2,816 wounded and 1,604 missing. Against these figures are known Japanese casualties of 33,462 dead and 700 prisoners of war.

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