Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-11-12
.b-29s Blast
Japan and Two
Chinese Bases
One Super Fortress
Missing; Shanghai,
Marking, Omuro Hit
MAP on Page A-4.)
2 Associated pYeks

6y the Associated Press.
Using secret instruments to
locate their targets through
clouds. B-29s yesterday bombed
a Japanese homeland aircraft
manufacturing center and trans
portation and storage facilities
in two enemy held Chinese
cities.
One Super Fortress was reported
in communique to be missing. At
least two enemy planes were shot
down, seven others probably de-
stroyed and II damaged.
The communique said a large
task force of Super Fortresses, OPP
Grating from bases in China, par
ticipated in the three-pronged
aerial blow. The targets were:
The Omura Aircraft Factory at
Omura on the japanese home
island of Kyushu.
The extensive dock and loading
facilities at Marking, a ferry point
for rail traffic between Shanghai.
Tientsin and Manchuria. Marking
also is the seat Of the Japanese
controlled puppet government in
China.
Enemy military storage and
transshipment facilities at the
great port of Shanghai
Plans Changed by Weather.
The Goth Air Force communique
said these were targets of vital
Importance to the japanese war
machine"
The air force reported that over
cast skies caused a diversion of the
effort" but did not make clear the
originally intended target. Earlier
m the day, goth Air Force an
nouncement reported only an at
tack on Marking. This led soma
officials here to believe that Nam
king was the original target. It
was possible, however, that Omura,
the most distant of the three tar
gets, may have been first choice
ana that because of the overcast
there part Of the mission deployed
to the mainland cities.
| A raid by some 20-odd" Super
Fortresses on Marking was acknowl-
edged last night by the Japanese
Domei news agency in broadcast
recorded by the Federal Communi-
cations Commission
The Domei report said. one B-29
had been downed over Marking by
antiaircraft fire. The Japanese
agency earlier had announced B-29
attacks on Kyushu and Saishu
Islands, but last nights broadcast
was the first acknowledgment of the
attack on Marking.
Tokyo Reports Other Raids.
In another broadcast yesterday,
the Tokyo radio said 10 enemy
planes. including B-29s," raided
Pagan Island in the Marianas Fri
day.
The broadcast said also that
more than 10 medium-type enemy
planes bombed zap Island in the
Carolines Thursday and that IT
B-24s bombed Haha Island and
Chichi Island, both located in the
Bonins. Thursday afternoon.
Omura is about 1900 miles from
the China bases of the B-29s.
Marking and Shanghai are about
1000.
The attack on the Omura air.
craft plant. hit previously on Octo-
Der IS, was accomplished through
clouds by precision instruments,
the communique said.
Instruments also were used in the
attack on Marking. Because of the
clouds, results at both targets could
not be observed. Returning crews
reported good results at Shanghai.
Yesterdays communique was the
first official report that the high
flying Super Fortresses have instru-
ments for bombing through overcast.
Such instruments have been used
for some time in strategic operations
by the smaller planes employed in
the European theater.
Most of the returning B-29 crews
said fighter plane opposition was
weak and antiaircraft fire meager
on today's raids.
A report OF a Super Fortress attack
on the island of Saishu, west of
Kyushu, was broadcast by the Tokyo
radio. 1t also said that planes new
over Honshu, the main island of
Japan, in what apparently was q
1 reconnaissance flight.