There were some positively direct hits this time, evenly distributed all over the city. And yet I sit here feeling safe — silly because antiaircraft shrapnel is falling all over the place. The two fires look like they're dying out now. The Port Area is solid black smoke, more so than the National Development or the Pandacan area. I'll try to get the details tomorrow. How do I feel? Elated hardly describes it!

Coincidentally, today's Tribune leads with this article: "City Air Defense Discussed at Rally." Air Raid Wardens, First-Aiders, special policemen and the like, all met — 26,000 of them if you can believe it. Guinto spoke in the Metropolitan Theater, as did Vice Mayor Figueras. Even the still-unnamed Japanese Commander of the Manila Headquarters made his first public appearance. Whatever they said, American planes made them look perfectly silly today. At least the Japanese got their anti-aircraft practice. Of the 40 to 50 planes I saw, only one was hit.

Page 1: "Chunking Losses in Western Yunnan Total 73,000 men," including wounded. The Japanese lost 3,900! They fought the "numerically superior" enemy, but unfortunately, the officers and men all "died a heroic death."

"Landed troops routed" in Peleliu on September 15 and 17. As usual, the Japanese let the cat out of the bag in the last paragraph. After fierce counter-attacks, "Nippon Forces, undaunted by the possibility of the severance of liaison with the Japanese units in the southern sector, are waging a fierce battle."

"Ramming of enemy plane over Davao by Nippon [pilot] told." His right propeller sliced through the midsection of the B-24's fuselage. In an earlier story, the B-24 split in two; in this version, they only "learned" of its crash "later." Of course, the Japanese plane got back all right. The only damage was a bent propeller and a black eye for the observer.

News: Aungur being mopped up — 600 of 2,000 killed. The Japanese tried to evacuate the island in seven barges — all were sunk — 200 drowned. In Peleliu, 7,000 dead were counted after half of the island was taken. Davao got 120 tons. Other areas bombed were Celebes, Ceram, Amboina, Bonins, Kazan, Marcus, Ponape, New Guinea, New Ireland, New Britain, Bougainville, Wotje ... a mouthful. Add a Task Force raid in east Sumatra.

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