May 19, 1945: Japanese War Plants Hit:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MAY 19, 1945:

Chester Times

CHESTER, PA., SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1945

B-29's Rock Jap War Plant Area

 

Coastal City of

Hamamatsu Hit

In Noonday Raid

Guam, (UP)—More than 300 Superfortresses rocked the Japanese war production center of Hamamatsu, 60 miles south of devastated Nagoya, with at least 2100 tons of bombs at the noon rush hour today.

The giant B-29s 'rained demolition bombs on the coastal city for a half hour through overcast that prevented observation of results. Iwo-based fighters escorted the bombers, which attacked from medium altitude.

The raid was the third within six days by 300 or more B-29s against prime industrial targets in Japan. The two previous raids on Monday and Thursday were against Nagoya, now one quarter destroyed.

The first of the B-29s attacked Hamamatsu at 12:30 p. m. Japanese time and for the next half hour bombs crashed on the city at the rate of 70 tons a minute. It was

the biggest raid yet on the city.

Targets included' plants turning' out airplane propellers, important railway shops and four airfields. Hamamatsu's pre-war population totalled 166,000.

A Tokyo broadcast said 30 other B-29s sowed mines in Wakasa Bay, on the north coast of 'Honshu, and 10 more dropped mines in the Beppu channel on the Inland Sea.

Reconnaissance photographs revealed that 5.9 square miles of Nagoya had been burned out in the two raids this week. This brought the area destroyed since the start of B-29 raids on Nagoya t o 11.3 square miles, 22 per cent of the whole city.

The famed Nagoya castle and 33 specific industrial and military targets, including the Mitsubishi aircraft factories, were destroyed or damaged in the last two clays. Of the total area, 3.1 square miles were burned out Monday and 2.8 square miles Thursday.

The 21st Bomber Command listed the following summary of results: Destroyed—Aichi Aircraft Works, Misuho branch; Osaka Machinery Works, Tokai Electrode Company, Nagoya No. 3 plant.

 

AMERICANS TAKE

TWO OBJECTIVES

IN PHILIPPINES

Ipo Dam On Luzon,

Valencia Airfield, On

Mindanao, Fall

 

Manila, (UP) — American troop today seized two important objectives in the Philippines—Ipo Dam on Luzon and Valencia Air Field on Mindanao — and Australian force completed the conquest of oil-rich Tarakan Island.

American planes already were operating from the two airstrips a Valencia, flying ,in supplies an1 making close air support missions while 31st Division troops have

pushed on northward to within 1 miles of Malaybalay.

Malaybalay, capital of Budkinon Province, is an important agricultural center. Troops of the 40th and American divisions pushing from the north had by-passed the stubborn enemy nests of resistance in the Mangina River Canyon to occupy

Dalirig, one mile to the east. Only 32 airline miles or 40 mile, along the Sayre Highway now separated the two forces splitting Mindanao.

Today's communique from Gen Douglas C. MacArthur's Headquarters was the first disclosure that the Veteran American Division was in action on Mindanao. The American commanded by Major Gen. William H. Arnold, previously  was in action on the Philippines Island of  Vsiayan.