Evening star., 1944-09-05
u 5. Warsllips She'll
Isles Guar ling Japan;
Philippines Raided
~ the Associated Prsss.

~ the Associated Press.
PACIFIC FLEET HEADQItAR-
TIERS, Pearl Harbor, Sept. 5.-
In q thunderous prelude to the
next big Pacific push, 50 Japa-
nese ships and l07 planes have
been knocked out in q flve-day
period which American war
ships shelled within 615 miles Of
Tokyo and bombers steadily bat
tered the Philippines.
Communiques yesterday and today
reported this heaviest set Of blows,
spread along more than 1000 miles
Of JapAn's inner defense ring Of Is
lands, since the conquest Of Guam,
August 3.
Planes alone expended more than
800 tons Of explosives and hundreds
Of rockets.
Two Island Groups Blasted.
The BONN and Volcano Islands
were blasted by air and sea.
Emphasizing the size Of the Pa
cific Fleet, while one task force was
operating south Of Tokyo In such
strength that the japanese Navy de-
clined to challenge 1t, another task
force pounded Wake Island, 1,645
miles to the east.
Mindanao, In the Southern Phil
ippines, was dealt its third straight
big air attack even as other sizable
blows engulfed such outer defense
bastions as Celebes, Halmahera and
Palau
From Paramushiro In the North
ern Kuriles to Dutch Timor, the
fiery devastation was sown at q cost
Of seven planes. Not warship was
reported so much as damaged.
Japar's carefully husbanded air
force made only . few scattered ap-
pearances and nothing bigger than
q submarine chaser was spotted OF
the enemy feet.
Six Vessels Sunk.
Five cargo ships and q tanker
definitely were sunk, . cargo shif
and three submarine chasers prob
ably sunk and three sub chasera
were damaged Ia the Bonin and
Volcano groups.
Twelve freighters were sunk O
severely damaged OF Minoanao.
freighter was sunk near Halmahera
another destroyed or badly smashe<
on Talsud. Three freighters wer'
sent down at Celebes.
In addition to these 30, . landing
craft and six barges were sunk ant
a sampan damaged in the Bonin
Volcano strikes and nine barges wer,
destroyed or damaged Oh Dutch Nev
Guinea.
Eighty-five japanese planes wer,
accounted for In the Bonin- Volcan,
action-l1 shot down, IS definitel,
destroyed aground and at anchor
20 probably destroyed and 10 dam
aged. At least three. perhaps seven
were shot down at Celebes and L
more wiped out as sitting ducks.
The actions were spaced between
August 80 and September 3.
Never before have the frequentl,
hit Bonin and Volcano defense base
at Japanis front door been so thor.
oughly Inundated.
On August 30 cruisers, destroyer
and carrier planes blasted Chich
and Two and planes also SMASHED
Haha. The next day carrier air
craft, which expended . total Of l9'
tons Of bombs and 400 rockets, sus
tanned the attack. September l tn
lwarships went back to work OF
Chichi and Two. September 2 Arm
Liberators followed in OF Two.
Hangers. shops, warehouses, fue
dumps and antiaircraft batteries o
the islands were hard hit. Chichi
seaplane base was erased. A lars
warehouse was destroyed at Hah.
Enemy plane and shipping losse
were particularly extensive at Iw>
Cruisers, destroyers and aircra1
carriers poured shells and bombin
planes at Wake September 3, knock
ing out coastal defenses Of tina
isolatde base without q semblanc
or air opposition and against ineffec
tive shore fire.
Gen. MacArthurs biggest strik
was Q 140ston Liberator raid Satur
day on Celebes where the Japanes
sent up 20 interceptors. Not q
interceptor, however, opposed tn
series of air patrol punches at ship
ping OH Mindanao or the 73-to
blasting Of Palau.