May 30, 1945; Heart of TokyoTotally Burned:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MAY 30, 1945:

THE TROY RECORD

TROY, N. Y., WEDNESDAY MORNING MAY 30, 1945

 

Heart of Tokyo  Totally Burned;

Area Size of Bronx Lies In Ashes

 

U. S, Photos Reveal

Every Target Hit;

Bombs Nick Palace

Guam (AP)— -The heart of Tokyo has been wiped out by

fire, bombs dropped by American B-20s.  Maj. Gen. Curtis E.
LeMay Commander of the21stBomber squadron announced today.
More than 51 square miles surrounding the Imperial grounds are a mass of gray ashes, marking the site  of thousands of buildings and residenses that  housed factories of all types.
Here and there are blackened ruins of a' few buildings still
Stand.

(The burned-over area is nearly as large as the Bronx district of New York City. The 1940 census gives the Bronx area j as 54.4 square miles, including inland water.)

"We nave destroyed all of -the target areas we set out to destroy," General Le May said in disclosing this astounding damage from B-29 raids that reached their height last week, with two strikes of some 500 planes each that poured, thousands of tons'. of incendiary "bombs on congested areas of the city. As he spoke, bombers were returning from the latest strike on Japan, this time against industrial areas of -Yokohama.

Reconnaissance photographs showed Yokohama covered with great smoke clouds driven before a 'strong south wind which was sweeping fires through the city. One returning; pilot who described. the target area as a "ocean of fire" said he could sea

 Of smoke rolling north toward Tokyo.  While the cigar-chewing, youthful general talked, his aids pointed out photographs of areas of .destruction which spread in all directions from the palace grounds and up and down the waterfront of Tokyo Bay where much of the city's industry is located.

 

 

Yanks Seize

Naha; Reach

Shuri Castle

 

Guam (AP) Hard fighting United States Marines reached Shuri Castle, the former headquarters of the Japanese commander of Okinawa, yesterday and other leather-necks have occupied ail of the capital city of Naha north of the main harbor.

The all-out assault to completely crush the long held Naha-Shuri-Yonabaru line across southern Okinawa appeared to be under way as front reports told of some enemy forces in retreat southward.

Today's fleet communique, announcing the ground successes on the west coast and in the center of the line, also raised from 77 to 115 the number of enemy suicide planes destroyed Sunday night and Monday morning during attacks on

American .shipping. The planes sank one light naval unit and damaged 12 other Mustang fighters from Iwo Jima which escorted more than -450 B-29s in yesterday's 3,200-ton fire bomb assault on Yokohama, Tokyo's port, shot down 26 out of 140 interceptors, probably destroyed ten others and damaged 18, the communique disclosed. The loss of three fighter planes, one of whose pilots was

rescued, was acknowledged.

 

Yanks Regain

Manila Water

Supply System

 

Manila (AP) Capture of Wawa Dam on thy Marikina River northwest of Manila was announced today by Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

The 38th Infantry Division smashed into the Wawa sector Monday to take the dam and complete; American control of the vast water supply system for distressed Manila. Ipo Dam to the north "was captured several days ago.

General MacArthur also reported the 32nd Division had joined the 25th in captured Santa Fe, on the mountainous southern approach to the Cagayan Valley of northern Luzon, "bringing- to an end organized enemy resistance in this vital area flanking the main highway into the Cagayan Valley."

Heavy and-attack bombers and fighters dropped 521 tons of explosives in support, of the Luzon ground operations.

On Mindanao Island the 31st Division in the interior made deep, penetrations into enemy mountain positions east of Malaybalay and crossed the Pulangi River on the Kibawe wad leading to Yank-held Davao. .

In the Davao area elements of the 24th Division were closing in from three sides of the Japanese pocket between the Davao ' and Talomo Rivers.

 

The Abilene Reporter-News

 

"WITHOUT OR WITH OFFENSE TO FRIENDS OR FOES WE SKETCH YOUR WORLD EXACTLY AS JT GOES." – Byron

ABILENE, TEXAS, WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAY 30, 1945

Heart of Tokyo Destroyed

From Superfortress Raids

 

51 Square Miles in

Ashes, Photos Show

 

GUAM, Wednesday, May 30-(AP)—The heart of Tokyo has been wiped out by Superfortress firebomb raids, 21^st Bomber Command headquarters announced today while squadrons of the B-29s were returning from an incendiary, assault on Yokohama, new target for the big planes.

Maj. Gen. Curtis E. Lemay, commander of the 21^st Bomber command, said photographs showed that more than 51 square miles of-Nippon's capital, including areas surrounding the Imperial palace, lay in ashes as the result of six lire

Nearly 500 Superforts hit Yokohama yesterday in th8 biggest daylight aerial strike against Japan, igniting block after block of the port city with 3,200 tons of fire bombs.