Bombers Hit
58 Ships,
88 Air craft
In one of the most daring naval strokes
of the Pacific war, Adm. William F. Halsey's American Third Fleet on Monday
hurled its carrier planes in overwhelming force at the Ryukyu Islands, 200
miles south of Japan, destroying 88 Japanese planes and sinking or damaging 58
ships.
A Japanese communique said the
attack was directed against the island group of Okinawa and the islands of
Miyako and Amami. About 400 American planes, striing in four waves, took part,
the communique stated.
No
U.S. Ships Hit
Not one American warship was hit during
the operation, which an AP correspondent said was in some ways more daring than
that of Gen. Doolittle's 1942
Tokyo raid. Then, the
correspondent pointed out, the aircraft-carrier retired while the planes flew
on to China, whereas in Monday's action the carriers
remained to pick up the planes.
American, plane losses were light.
The Americans had a field day,
sinking or damaging every ship seen, while the Japanese home fleet stayed in
hiding. the" Japanese home-based air force
thought it wiser to stay home,
too, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz's communique stated—and this time the admiral
wasn't kidding—that the ships sunk included one destroyer, one minesweeper, one
submarine tender and nine cargo ships.
Another
Destroyer Damaged
Probably sunk were 13 cargo ships
and one oil tanker. Nine cargo ships, two tankers and one destroyer were
damaged. In addition, more than 20 luggers and
other small craft were either
sunk or damaged.
Commanding the China sea approaches to the coast between
Shanghai and Foochow, the Ryukyu Islands are
of great strategic importance to the Japanese—making the East China Sea a Japanese
lake.
Planes, Guns
Carry Out
Hodges' Vow
Dive-bombers and heavy artillery began
relentlessly to carry out the American First Army's grim threat to destroy the
city of Aachen yesterday when the Nazi garrison failed to surrender as demanded
in the 24-hour ultimatum delivered Tuesday.
Ninth Air Force planes, sent
500-pound bombs and rockets bursting into the already badly battered German
frontier city, while from the outskirts, eight-inch
guns. Long Toms and 105's loosed
a merciless barrage. Dispatches from the. front said 200 big guns opened fire
upon the 1,000-year-old city.
Nazis Send
Relief Division
The guns and planes went into
action soon after noon, but later in the day some of their fire was diverted
against a relief force spotted moving up from the east.
Yanks in Italy
Gain in Mud
ROME, Oct. 11 (AP)—American troops,
slowed down by rain and mud in Italy, have reached the southern outskirts of
Livergnano, ten miles due south of
Bologna on Highway 65, the main
road from Florence to" Botogna. Advance elements are meeting fierce enemy
counterattacks. In general the pace of the fighting is set by the frequency and
duration of; rainstorms and the depth of the mud.
Ten miles inland from the Adriatic
coast British and Indian troops completed, clearing a ridge between Montegallo
and Monte Farneto, thereby strengthening a, base for a drive in the direction
of Cesenai on the Rimini-Bologna road
No comments:
Post a Comment