Evening star., 1944-06-16

dropped on the coke ovens and
open hearth furnaces. japanese
antiaircraft fire poured into the sky,
and shell fragments dug deeply into
the superbombers, but the engines
kept turning, and nearly all the
ships came home.
ITS not too much to say that the
silver and olive drab dragon-flies,
as~ssome OF the crews have nick
named these new B-29s, have struck
at the heart of the dragon itself"
An Official account of the action,
the first major raid by the big
planes, was given in the following
communique from the headquarters
of the goth Air Force:
"A stable task force of B-29s from
the goth Bomber Command bombed
industrial targets at Yawata on the
Kyushu Island in the japanese
homeland on Thursday. June Is
preliminary reports reveal that
although enemy aircraft were en-
countered and anti-aircraft was
moderate to intense, none of the
planes was lost as a result of enemy
action.
Flyers who participated in the
mission report the bombing was ac-
curate and that large fires and ex-
plosions were observed.
Operated From China Bases.
1.-THE planes operated from bases
In China which were completed re-
Gently. Two B-29s were lost as the
result of accidents, one crew of which
is safe. This communique is based
on the preliminary incomplete re-
ports from the combat zone"
The Japanese were caught COM
pletely by surprise, according to Mr.
Porter, one of II correspondents
who few on the historic raid. Never
theless, anti-aircraft guns in the i'm
portant industrial area, one of the
most important in Japan, soon went
into action and night fighters
swarmed up to meet the invaders.
The armada of giants returned to
the China bases with a number OF
bullet holes in their sides, but with
out serious damage, the reports from
the operations base said.
japanese radio stations, in con-
trast to the bedlam of excited re-
ports they put on the air after Gen.
Doolittle's raid, reacted slowly and
cautiously, apparently on the basis
of instructions from the Ministry of
Propaganda.
Japs Minimize Attack.
They admitted that the great steel
mills at Yawata had been attacked
but minimized the attack, declaring
the works were struck only by "a few
bomb fragments" which caused mo
damage whatever to plant facilities.
Although American communiques
mentioned only Yawata as a point
of attack, the japanese radio said
Moji. an important communications
center, and Kokura also were hit.
e, .nese propagandistS, according
to / nitors of the ONCE of War In
formation, used the attack to exhort
the 'apanese people to greater effort
in the war. One propagandist saio
the japanese should not think we
have been passively attacked, but
that we have actually pulled the en-
emy toward us"
Meanwhile, an Associated Pres
dispatch from the base in China
from which the Super Fortresse'
took off described the dramatic
scene there as Gen. Wolfe and Gen
George B. Stratemeyer, second ir
command of Allied Air Forces il
the Southeast Asia theater, sweat.
ed it out" waiting for word from
the raiders.
Code Word Was Betty"
Exactly at 1888 pm. Thursday
d1.5S am. EWT) the first plane
flashed the code word Betty ;
meaning that the bombs were away
Congratulations, Wolfe, this /.
the start of the finish" Gen, STRAIT.
meyer shouted.
This is but the beginning of oul
(see JAPAN, Page A-3J