Friday, October 12, 2012

October 12, 1944;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, OCTOBER 12, 1944:



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

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