Evening star., 1942-04-19

the world, population, 7,000, 900, mill
tary. political, financial heart of the
empire:
1T has been confirmed thus far
that nine enemy planes were shot
down when hostile aircraft attacked
the io-Yokohama region this
afternoon for the first time since
the war began" read an announce
ment by eastern defense headquar-
ters.
THE enemy planes approached
from several directions about IL: 80
pm. and were Immediately re-
pulsed by air and ground defenses
1t is revealed that damages inflicted
by the air attack are slight"
Other announcements said the
imperial family was unharmed Ca
customary assurance in the case of
major disaster), that no damage was
done In the immediate neighborhood
of the imperial palace, enclosed by
moats and huge stone walls in the
heart Of the city. Domei elab-
Grated:
THE raiders failed to penetrate
into the heart of the metropolitan
area, but dropped their bombs in
residential districts in the suburbs.
Schools and hospitals unfortunately
received several hits"
Huge Plants in Suburbs.
But Tokio's suburbs contain huge
industrial plants as well as resid-
ences-airplane plants, arsenals,
munitions factories, huge military
depots and cantonments. The re-
ports of schools and hospitals
bombed follow the normal pattern
of Axis propaganda.
Domei continued: The planes
which carried out blind raids on
the Toxic yokohama region were
without doubt United States planes,
observers declared. They said the
American air insignia of blue star
against a red circle could be seen
clearly from the ground.
"A Domei reporter described one
enemy plane which was shot down
as falling like a smoking comet"
Nagoya Gapan's third city, popu-
lation 100000. site of the big
Kawanishi, MitSubishi and other
aircraft plants, 2l7 miles west of
Tokio):
AT 2:30 this afternoon two enemy
planes raided NaCoya.' Central De-
fense Headquarters announced. AL
though they dropped bombs, damage
was slight"
A later communique said inCendi-
airy bombs fell at six places in the
vicinity of Nagoya but the fires were
soon brought under control.
Single Plane Raids Kobe.
Kobe population 100000, ia
pans largest port. shipping point
for a large proportion of the sup
plies flowing to the Japanese forces
in the southwestern Pacific war
theater, major shipbuilding center,
376 miles by rail west of Toxic
"A single enemy plane raided
Kobe around $50 pm, dropping
incendlary bombs but no serious
damage was caused" said a COM
munique A later announcement
said single bombs fell at three places
in Kobe. Fires were soon con-
trolled
Yokohama (950,OO0 population
port for Toxic, Is miles away. chief
port on the Pacific. site of big
shipyards and a wide variety or in
dustries). Any damage done there
was covered by the general COM
munique covering the Toxic " oko-
hama district
There was no mention Of the great
naval base of YokoSuka, 20 miles
from Yokohama.
Osaka defense headquarters re-
ported one other area under attack
The enemy strafed farming vii
lagos in Wakayama Prefecture
Shiga Prefecture and the YoHkaich
area with machine guns but nc
damage was caused
These areas DO contain many
farming villages but they also are
thick with factories producing wa,
goods. Wskaysma is the southern,
most prefecture of Honshu; Yok.
kaichi is an important port acros,
the Bay of Ise from Nagoya: Shigs
is a thickly peopled prefecture jus
east of Kyoto. containing the fam,
Gus Lake Biwa.