Evening star., 1944-10-15
4 b-2os MISSING
In Record Raid
On Fornnosa
okoyomo, Strategic
War Port, Attacked
From Chino Bases
MAP on Page A-6.)
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
The largest force of B-29 Super
Fortresses ever sent into the air
attacked Okayama on the island
of Formosa yesterday in a follow
up to heavy assaults on Formosa
by large fleets of carrier planes.
Okayama, in the soutN western
part Of the island, is Japan's major
airplane and supply depot, and q
War Department announcement de-
scrihed it as ''the most important
air target south of Japan proper"
It also is the site of large railway
marshalling yards, a naval arsenal
and plane modification center.
Late yesterday the department
said four Super Fortresses had not
returned, but that it was believed
some of them are expected to be
reported later from friendly bases"
Attack Called Successful.
Initial reports from crewmen in.
dicated a successful attack" q
communique said, adding that the
mission was conducted from bases
in China. A dispatch from one Of
these bases said the tonnage dropped
set record for Super Fortress at
tacks, of which the Formosa at
tack was the 10th.
The japanese Domei Agency
claimed that up until 8 o'clock last
night Japanese time) "at least 13
enemy aircraft carriers including
seven standard carriers of the larger
type were definitely sunk by our
air force in the waters east Of
Taiwan Formosa)."
The broadcast added that many
other warcraft of the enemy task
force were sunk as a result of re-
peated attack by our raiders"
There was no Allied confirmation
Of the claim.
The Washington communique
said the japanese offered no fighter
interception and ack-ack fire over
the target was meager.
The Tokyo radio said the Super
Fortresses were preceded by two
more Formosa raids yesterday
morning by $50 American carrier
planes The Navy has not confirmed
these raids. Tokyo said 100 B-29s
raided Formosa.
Week Of Devastating Raids.
The Super Fortress assault on
Formosa climaxed a week OF deyas-
tAting raids by the Navy on Japan,s
inner defenses.
At Pacific Fleet headquarters In
Pearl Harbor, the Navy summed
up its four-day score on Japan as
140 ships sunk or damaged and SIS
planes destroyed or damaged in
blows = initiated Monday in the
Philippines-Japan area.
Newspapermen at Pearl Harbor
were permitted to speculate that
carrier forces were still operating in
tn Japanese home waters. Indica-
tons pointed toward an approach
ing American invasion Of the Philip
pines or perhaps even Formosa or
the Ryukyu Islands between For
mosa and Japan, they reported.
The Super Fortress attack on
Formosa was q much shorter run
for the giant bombers than their
attacks on Kyushu, southernmost of
the Japanese islands. This would
mean that the planes could carry a
much greater weight of bombs. The
greater number of planes than in
any previous attack further in
creased the total bomb load.
/ Program Advances.
Yesterdays operations represent
ed considerable advance in the
Army Air Forces program to put
Japan under sustained strategic air
attack. They were a reminder of
what Gen. H. H. Arnold, COM
| mander Of the Army Air Forces, said
recently: "Someday the Super For
tresses will be flying over Japan in
the same numbers that the Flying
Fortresses are now flying over Ger
many"
The raid marked the beginning of
a new phase of Super Fortress OPP
erations. Maj. Gen. Curtis lie May.
in a preraid analysis and forecast,
said previous operations were
largely preliminary while the crews
learned to use the great new weapon
with confidence The first phase of
combat testing is satisfactorily end
ed. From now on the real job be-
tSee B-29s, Page A-6.)