The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-26
Jap Navy Still Unbound As u. S.
Wrecks 1876 Planes At Marianas
BY WILLIAM F. TYREE
UNITED Press War Correspondent

NSAA~SS~-
Pearl Harbor, February &c.
= (UP) = The whereabouts
of the Japanese navy re-
manned a mystery today after
U. S. officials disclosed that
American airmen failed to
find the long-missing enemy
fleet at the Marianas Islands
in their attack Tuesday when
they destroyed 142 Japanese
planes and sank two ships.
Rear Edm. Marc A. Mitscher,
commander Of the naval force which
carried the planes for the assault on
the Marianas, apparently had hoped
to catch units of the japanese navy
hiding in Saipan, one Of the last
naval bases between the enemy's
island empire and the homeland.
Either the Japanese fleet was not
at Saipan, or the enemy, detecting
the Americans approach, sent the
naval units scurrying for safety at
some other bases, deeper within
Japan's defenses.
Adm. Chester Nimitz, whose COM
munique late yesterday disclosed
the devastating results Of the car
rier-based attack on Saipan, Tinian
and the nearby former-American
island Of Guam, attributed the lack
of Japanese defense of their be-
leaguered garrisons to an acute
shortage of shipping and badly
unbalanced enemy fleet.
"This acute shortage of shipping
and the lack of sufficient screening
types is the result Of steady down.
whiting Of his (enemy) merchant
marine aMl Donbatant ships, !" MINI
itz said at a submarine base cere-
money last night.
His communique revealed that
American flyers encountered oppoSi-
ton only from strong force of
Japanese torpedo planes and bomb
ers, and aircraft fire, but Moth
ing else, indicating that the enemy
fleet either was not in the MarianaS
or its commanders decided not to
accept the challenge.
The American air units, at loss
of only six planes, shot down 20 Of
the intercepting enemy craft and
destroyed 81 others on the grounds
in two attacks on Tinian and Sal
pan. The other Japanese planes
were shot down by anti-aircraft fire
and air patrols when they futilely
attempted to raid the ships which
carried the American flyers.
Runways, seaplane aprons and
other facilities, fuel dumps and
buildings were bombed heavily and
strafed, the communique said. One
cargo ship was sunk, another was
severely damaged and apparently
beached and another was set af1re.
One patrol craft was blown up and
seven other small ships damaged.
The American naval vessels es-
capped unchanged, the communicates
added, despite a furious attack by
enemy land-based torpedo planes
and bombers.
A smaller attack was made on
Guam, Ill miles south Of Saipan
and the first U. s. territory to fail
to hte Japanese, but the results Of
the assault were not disclosed.
NimitZ also announced that Lib
orators of the Seventh Army Air
Forces continued their aerial blows
against the Japanese in the Marsh
alls and the Carolines. Army bomb
ers ON Wednesday dumped tons of
explosives on wharfs. radio facin-
ties and the cantonment area at
Kusaie in the Carolines. On the
same day Navy Liberators of Fleet
Arriving Two. followed with another
attack on the Kusaie dock areas,
blowing up an ammunition dump,
sinking one ship and damaging an
other.
Army Mitchell bombers, Warhawk
fighters and Navy search Ventures
bombed and strafed ground install
lations Of four enemy atolls in the
western Marshalls. Several of the
planes were damaged, but all re-
turned to their base, the communi.
que said.