Evening star., 1944-06-25
victorious American 5th and British

VICTORIOUS American 9TH ana BRUSH
9th Armies is expected.
Cooperating with the English
based bombers in their attack on
Germany's liquid fuel. Italian based
bombers struck at the Ploesti oil
field in Romania, further curtailing
its vital output.
Jap Fleet Hard Hit.
A badly disappointed American
fleet hit the japanese a crippling
blow last week but was unable to
close for action between surface
ships which might easily have ad-
vanced the defeat of Japan by many
months.
The battle which continued from
Sunday until darkness fell Monday
night cost the Japs one large air.
craft carrier of the Hayataka class
comparable to our Essex class in
size, destroyer and three tankers.
In addition, a Shokaku-c class car
rier, Japan's latest and largest, is
believed to have been sunk as the
result of three torpedoes put into
her by an American submarine
which could not linger to see defin-
itely whether she went down. A
Hayakata -class carrier left burning
furiously, a Zuikaku-class carrier
which took three 1,000pound bombs
and a small carrier which was hit
by two aerial torpedoes, a cruiser
! two destroyers, two other tankers
and Kongo-class battleship, all
/ damaged, added up to heavy cost to
the japanese for their effort to aid
the badly battered force still de-
Tending Saipan Island.
American loss was limited to dam
age to a battleship and two carriers,
which was not sufficient to impair
their serviceability in any way.
The enemy lost 353 planes at
least and what is more important,
353 of the best pilots American
losses were SO planes. Some of the
pilots were rescued.
| Action Began Sunday.
| The action began Sunday when
the Jap planes struck at the Amer
lean fleet, part at least of the
famous Task Force So, which
has carried the war to the Japs
with increasing weight and increas-
ing success. 1t was during this
phase of the battle that the three
American ships were slightly dam
aged, 1t was then, also that the
American submarine attacked the
Shokaku-claSS carrier.
American scout planes seeking the
source of the Jap planes which were
Identified as carrier based. discov-
cred the Jap fleet which contained
at least four battleships, five car
riers and other ships moving be-
tween Saipan and the Philippines.
Bombers and torpedo planes were
rushed out to attack and slow the
fleet until the surface ships of Task
Force So could move in for the kill
Unfortunately, dusk fell before con-
tact could be made and the Japs
withdrew. though the search still
goes on.
The Importance of Saipan, lying
as 1t does in a strategic position
for air attack either against the
japanese home islands or the
Philippines, is so great, the Ameri-
can Navy had hoped that the Japs
would be stung into accepting a
battle which might easily develop
into the worlds greatest naval ac-
ton. However, the japanese ap-
parentiy have grown prudent after
the series of disaSterous engage
ments with American naval power
and the present expedition seemed
more intent upon reinforcing the
|, garrison of Saipan than in attack
) ing the American fleet.
:, When they were discovered the
enemy left as quickly as possible.
Saipan is now largely under
American control with both airfields
in possession of the ground forces
and with the Japs pinned down in
the northern part of the island
where they face the same fate as
that encountered by SO many of the
isolated japanese garrisons.
i American planes are already op-
Grating from Saipan's air fields and
the future possibilities when the
fields have been expanded to permit
operation of the huge B-29s led a
Tokyo spokesman to declare that
the war is entering a very serious
phase for Japan.
Tokyo announced yesterday that
Guam had been heavily raided but
sottened the blow to, the Japanese
by claiming to have shot down Is
planes and to have damaged two
) carriers.