The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-03-31
Target But 400 Miles From,
Philippine Archipelago, 96
Planes Lost in Raj Attack
Sleeper Play
Successful
ForU. s.
(By InternatIonaI News servIeel

tBy international news service
A military adaptation Of footballs
old sleeper play. with the result
ant destruction OF l12 Japanese
planes. shared the news spotlight
today with the record loss Of %
planes suffered by British night
raiders over Germany.
Gen Douglas Macarthur and
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz teamed 10
work the tactic that operated so
successfully on American gridirons.
Their objective was powerful
naval and aerial bombardment ~
the enemy-hed Paau Islands but
q scant 400 miles east OF the Philip.
pine archipelago. That attack. al.
ready In It's third day, was launch
ed by a carrier task force under
Nimitz command. while MncArth.
ur's land based hombers helped a..
vert attention from the fleet BY
blasting the main NippOnesc naval
base OF Truk
Tho Truk raid. the ilr8t staged
by Macarthur airmon. coincided
with similar assault by land based
Iiberators Of Nimits command.
Tho generals flicrs swept IN over
their targets from the south. while
the other force struck from the
east. thus subJecting the import
ant enemy basilo1 to It's first two
way attack by heavy bOmbers.
Raid New Guinea
While the Truk raid progressed,
other Macarthur men raided the
airdrome at Holnndin, Now Guinea.
This assault apparently served TO
keep. the Japanese air force from
interfering from the surface raid,
and jointly accounted Tor the des'
truction OF the 172 enemy planes
Huge fires we're minded among
Truks important naval and air
installations. but details OF the
damage wrought IN the Palsu
Islands were not immediately
available due TO the radio blackoue
necessary for security. However.
Nimitz' communidue indicated that
the assault is stiff continuing
Jap Navy Flees
The attack upon the Palau
Islands represented by far the
nearest known penetration 20 the
Philippines yet made by any Allied
surface or aerial craft in the war.
At the approach OF the American
fleet. Japanese ships were obSery.
ed TO flee the vicinity again
indicating the enemy's retlcenco
about facing a showdown fight.
over western Europe, American
bombers we're believed carrying the
Allied round the-clock lombard
ment OF Germany and occupied
Europe into another day. Huge.
Allied formations were reported
sweeping toward the continent. and
the Nazi radios said the raiders
were deep into the Reich.
Hard Hi
Earlier. the British mir ministry
revealed that the industrial and
communications hub Of Nuremberg
in southern Germany was hard hit
last night by heavy bombers OF
the Royal Air Force. No details OF
the assault were Immediately made
known. but German propagandists
claimed that record number OF
1871 planes were downed In the raid.
There was no confirmation OF this
claim from any Allied source.
In Russia. mobile columns OF the
Red Army probed into the Carpa-
THAN foothills and threatened an
early possible break-through into
Czechoslovakia and northern Ru-
mania. Having captured Cernauti,
gateway to the Balkans. the So
Wet icFiohs Tanned -oft-of- the
approaches 10 the Axis satellite
states and were but Is miles dist
ant from the Czech and Rumanian
frontiers.
Near stanislaV
To the north another Russian
spearhead was the same distance
from Stanislav, vital railroad juno
ton in the heart Of the Gallician
oilflelds Of old Poland. And far
to the southeast. three powerful
Soviet tank-paced columns converg-
ed upon the Black Sea port or
Odessa, running roughshod over
the Nazl hordes which were driven
from hundreds OF towns and VII
lagos along the routes OF march
on most OF the major fronts. the
VI Pare