July 24, 1945; JAPANES FLEET BOMBED AT ANCHOR:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JULY 24, 1945:

 

RACINE, W I S . , TUESDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 24, 1945

Record Horde

Of B-29s Hits
Industrial Areas

(See Story on Page 3.)

BY WILLIAM F. TYREE

GUAM—(UP)—More than 1,000 American planes pounced on a concentration of Japanese warships at the Kure Naval Base today and left it a holocaust of burning wreckage. Japanese ground gunners and fighter planes fought back desperately.

The invasion-marked Japanese homeland rocked under unprecedented aerial blows from some 2,000 American warplanes. They included a record armada of more than 600 Super-Fortresses, which loosed a torrent of bombs on Nagoya, Osaka and five Japanese war plants.

Fleet dispatches revealed that the carrier planes swarming all day over Kure scored direct hits with heavy bombs on two Japanise warships and set fire to a number of others.

Pounding Flotilla to Pieces, task force 38 of Adm. William F. Halsey's Third Fleet finally had found a big part of the surviving J a p a n e s e fleet—perhaps the major part — and was pounding it to pieces.

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The a Fleet dispatches revealed that the carrier planes swarming all day over Kure scored direct hits with heavy bombs on two Japanese warships and set fire to a number of others.

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The air force hoarded by the Japanese for t h e showdown battle of the homeland was s t u n g to action in the defense of K u r e and its warships.

Airmen returning to their carrier bases reported numerous dogfights swirling through the smoke clogged skies over Kure.

All day long the carrier force smashed at "military targets" at Kure. A fleet dispatch said it was common knowledge that the base was among J a p a n ' s greatest naval centers, and might shelter "much of" the enemy fleet. -

Caught Riding at Anchor.

"Many" J a p a n e s e warships were caught riding at anchor in Kure harbor on the Inland Sea, United Press War Correspondent Richard W. Johnston reported from the attacking fleet.

Tokyo admitted "slight" damage to warships at Kure , but claimed that 30 American planes were shot down or damaged.

Upwards of 1,000 c a r r i e r planes were on the attack over Kure and the chain of enemy airfields around the naval station, and it was indicated they had flushed out a huge concentration of Japanese

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2 — R A C I N E J O U R N A L - T I M ES

T u e s d a y , July 24.1945

 

 

Japs Seize Offensive in Kiangsi,

Aim to Relieve Pressure on Kweilin

CHUNGKING—(U.P.) —

 

 

 

Chinese Make Chihchiang BaseToo Hot for Enemy to Hold

 

B y HARRY GRAYSON

C H I H C H I A N G , H u n a n P r o v i n c e,