Evening star., 1944-06-14
American Task Force
Destroys 14t Jap
Planes and Is Ships
BY the Associated Press.

UNITED STATES PACIFIC
FLEET HEADQUARTERS, Pearl
Harbor, June 14.-The Navy,
passing up the long radio silence
usually observed to protect a
retiring feet, promptly an
nounced the sinking of l3 Japa-
nese ships, damaging of Is others
and destruction of 14l planes in
three days by carrier task
force assaulting Guam and other
Marianas bases.
(The navy, in fact, has not
specified that the bold task force,
moving within 1900 miles OF
Tokyo. even yet has left the
scene. It's reports covered an at
tack on the third day several
hundred miles away''-but didn't
say in which direction)
The announcement yesterday byI
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz listed
operations which began Saturday
and continued through Monday, di-
rected at Guam, Saipan, Tinian and
Rota in the Southern Marianas.
Admiral Ninitz said American
losses were Is planes and IS airmen.
Destroyer, 3 Corvettes Sunk.
The reported enemy losses, added
to others inflicted In Gen. Douglas
MacArthurs command area along
the south approaches to the Philip
pines, promised to make June the
most disastrous in many months for
Japans fleet and air arms.
(Tokyo radio. confirming the
Marianas assault, broadcast that
the American surface ships
moved in close enough to turn
their big guns on the target, in
addition to sending out planes.
The Pearl Harbor announcement
failed to confirm this bold and
significant aspect of the three
day assault.
"a Japanese communique added
the targets suffered only slight
damage, that one Allied warship
was sunk and more than 121
United States planes downed-
claims in line with usual Tokyo
announcements
Ships listed sunk in the Marianas
area were a destroyer, three cor
vettes, seven cargo vessels and two
oilers. Five destroyers were among
enemy shipping losses reported so
far this month in the Macarthur
area, where vessels damaged in
cluded heavy cruiser,
These warship losses were the
first reported suffered by Japan in
the Central South Southwest Pa
cific since March.
is Jap Cargo Vessels Lost.
Enemy cargo vessel losses in June
total 18, including which Gen.
Macarthur announced today were
sunk off Dutch New Guinea.
(These shipping losses do not I
include those caused by subma-
rines, whose records are an l.
nounced by the Navy without b
specifying areas or dates) |,
The 141 planes destroyed in the I
Marianas added to. Central {
Southwest Pacific bag which totals ,
more than 260 so far this month. !
That exceeds all enemy air losses h
for May in those sectors and sets q
faster pace than in April, when Ja-
pan lost AIT planes. k
The American force apparently
achieved an important measure of .
surprise tn knitting into the Mari
anas, Id contrast to the attack last
February, when the approach of a
similar task sfnree was detected hyIl
enemy scouting planes. In the Feb Il
ruary smash, the first of the war,
135 enemy planes were destroyed,
two ships sunk and nine damaged. u
American losses were six planes. II
The second strike, however. was (
more successful in catching enemy +
shipping, always primary objec- Is
tive of carrier task force operations.
Attacks on two conveys in the area I
indicated the Japanese are making
an earnest effort to strengthen their
positions
The makeup of the task force {
was not indicated, but it probably in
cludes battleships, cruisers and de-
stroyers In addition to carriers.
In striking this second blow at
the Marianas, the Americans again
drew no challenge from the reluc-
tant Japanese feet.
In a separate announcement, Ad-
niral Nimitz reported a continua-
ton of Army and Navy plane raids
on enemy positions throughout the
Central Pacific Sunday and Monday.
Truk and Ponape in the Carolines,
Nauru and Ocean Islands west of
the Gilberts and by-passed Japa-
nese in the Marshalls were bombed
and strafed One American plane
was reported damaged and all re-
turn n5 ~ thnir