Evening star., 1944-10-15
War Review
Japs Get Taste of
1,O0O-Plane Raids
By Hovard p. Bailey.

week naQ Cnelf urSC taste or them
and the results were devastating
In four days of smashing attack
beginning with a seaborne attack
on the Ryukyu Islands which lie in
a chain about 200 miles south of
Kyushu, southernmost of the main
Islands, the Navy ran up the i'm
pressive total of at least 73 Japa-
nese ships sunk, 81 probably sunk
or damaged, 79 small craft sunk, 9
damaged and probably sunk, 244
planes shot down, 249 destroyed on
the ground and 81 damaged and
possibly destroyed.
Total American losses were So
planes, although the Japanese claim
to have sunk six carriers and four
other warships. Admiral Nimitz
denied any ship losses, declaring
that not ship was hit, although
the Japs did make one bomber and
torpedo plane attack which was
driven eff.
The Ryukyu raid came on Mon
day to be followed by a stab at
Luzon in the Philippines Tuesday
and then, sneaking in behind a
typhoon, Admiral Halsey's planes
smashed Formosa's main cities
Thursday and Friday in a complete
surprise and yesterday it was re-
ported that B-29's were hitting the
island again in great number.
Effect Is Tremendous.
The strategic effect of these raids
Is tremendous, for it is believed that
Jap air power on Formosa has been
wiped out and the main airfields
destroyed. Lacking fighter planes
to provide cover for shipping
through the China Sea, japanese
ships will be easier prey for. Ameri-
can bombers as they seek to take
supplies and reinforcements to their
troops in Southern China and raw
materials from the East Indies to
the home islands.
The Japanese garrison in the
Philippines, estimated to number
100000, will find its position pre-
carious as result of the raids on
the islands to the north and to the
south. Resupplying and reinforc-
ing them will be difficult.
Already, it is reported, American
and Filipino guerrillas are active in
the islands and important develop
ments are forecast soon.
Admiral Halsey's Sd Fleet struck
suddenly on Sunday at Marcus Is
land, northwestward from the Mar
shalls and about 1,100 miles from
Japan, surface ships blasting the
the shore defenses into silence.
There was no aerial opposition to
the surface craft, which included
battleships armed with 16-inch
rifles. This was due, perhaps, to
the extremely heavy plane losses
the Japs have suffered recently,
1,200 at the hands of Admiral
Spruance's 5th Fleet and LOO
which Admiral Halsey's Sd Fleet
wiped out.
Marcus has been an important
airbase from which the Japs have
sent scouting flights in all direc-
tions to detect the approach of
American units. Its usefulness for
that purpose has now been ma
terially reduced.
The Marcus raid was followed by
the strike at the Ryukyus, which
were hit from Amami Oshima, 200
miles from Japan to Miyako, near
Formosa, on Tuesday.
At the same time it was revealed
that the doth Palau Island, Cara
hayo, was invaded and secured two
days earlier.
Eight-Hour Raid.
After a days lapse, 1000 planes
opened the campaign to reduce
Formosa when for eight hours car
rier-based aircraft struck at Takao,
Tainan and Taichu, the three most
important rail centers of the island
lying at either end and near the
middle.
At the time Of the raid Admiral
Hasegawa, governor general of the
island was reporting to the Emperor
on wartime Formosa. After he was
brought up to date on wartime For
mosa, he exclaimed, $50 they have
come at last. The enemy is very
audacious but we, too, have made
every preparation to meet him.
Events proved him a little overopti-
mistic concerning the preparations.
Returning to the attack on For
mosa Friday, the Navy planes hit
at oil concentrations, hangers,
warehouses, docks and industrial
establishments from one end of the
island to the other.
At about the time the Formosa
raids were under way, other Ameri-
can bombers smashed the refineries
at Balikpapan on Borneo which
have been principal source of
aviation gasoline and oil for ths
Japs.
It was bad week for the Japs.
Others are expected to follow. The
fact that 1000 planes can be thrown
into a series Of simultaneous raids
from aircraft carriers offers no COM
fort to Tokyo. Throughout it all,
the Jap fleet remained in hiding.
Fierce Battle for Aachen.
In China, the hard pressed
poorly supplied Chinese are putting
up a valiant fight to save Kweilin
and are staging a Bataan-like re-
sistance.
On the western front In Europe
the battle for Aachen has become
the flercest fight of the campaign
in France. Completely surrounded
early in the week, the commander
rejected an ultimatum to surrender
the fortified city and 1t. Gen.
Hodges set his American 1st Army
seriously about the business of re-
ducing the city to complete de-
struction. Friday after two DAYS
of tremendous shelling and bombing
during which 1900 loads of bombs
were dropped on the defenses, the
first doughboys began moving into
the city and it was said that only
slight resistance was met in the
early stages of the occupation. The
careful and thorough preparation
by air and artillery blasting, kept