Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-11
2,0OO-PIane Raids
On Japan Predicted
By Gen. DooIiH|e
Ey the Associated Press

RAID on Tokyo, predicted TODAY
that 2,000-plane raids would be
made on Japan.
The size of the American all
force operating against Japan will
continue to be increased as air.
fields become available and supply
routes and communications bases
are established" Gen. Doolittle said
at a press conference.
He disclosed that the personnel
of the 9th Air Force in England
now numbered approximately 100000
men and women, and that another
100000 had served on a rotating
basis.
May Go Directly to Pacific.
Gen. Doolittle said part of the 9Th
Air Forces manpoWer and equip
ment would be moved directly to the
Pacific and the rest would be sent
back to the United States or would
be kept here Indefinitely as part of
the Allied occupation air force.
He indicated that large numbers
of FLYING FortreSSeS and LiberatorS
used IN battering Germany would be
shifted to the Pacific, where they
would be used in the role of medium
bombers." augmenting operations of
the increasing fleet of Super
FortreSSeS.
Gen. DoOllttle referred to the
Super Fortress as the heavy bomber
of the future but in speaking of
prospective 2000-plane raids on
Japan he did not state specifically
that he meant all 1000 would be
Super Fortresses.
Gen. Doolittle disclosed that the
present bomber strength of the 9th
Air Force exceeded 2,400 Liberators
and FortreSseS.
That number of operational
planes on airfieldS today does not
include large number of others in
repair depots. and new planes in
reserve pools" he said.
The largest number of heavies
Gen. Doolittle ever dispatched in
one attack was approximately 1000
last Christmas Eve.
For every bomber We have at
least two full crews" he said. That
is the only way we could have kept
up the large-scale, nonstop raids
over Germany
Gen. Doolittie was asked what part
he expected to play III the final
phase Of the war against the Japa-
nese Laughing, he replied:
II only wish l knew"
He reviewed the history of the air
war in Europe, stating that at one
time losses approaching a prohibl-
tive rate" on the deep penetration
raids into the heart of Germany
threatened to restrict operations SO
much as to bring into question the
ability of the air force to make its
D day deadline.
The situation was saved, he said,
by the introduction of long-range
American Mustang fighters.
In the fall and winter of 1884
improved German tactics and more
lethal armament increased the
LuftWaffe's toll of our bombers I'M
til we faced a very grave crisis,
Gen. Doolittle said.
Race Against Time.
The naturalization of Luftwaffe
was not only campaign against
powerful enemy force. but race
against time. 1t had to be done in
time to permit the land invasion
during favorable summer weather
of 1914
Then early in 1914 long-range
fighters which had been continu-
ously in development came into the
air battle of Germany in sufficient
numbers to win for us in this period
of our greatest crisis. The effect of
all this was manifest on D day,
when the LuftWaffe did not seri-
ously contest the invasion"
In order to destroy the German
cir force, Gen. Doolittle said, we
deliberately intended to precipitate
large-sCale battles"
One of the highlignts IN the his
tory Of the 9th All Force was its
campaign against German oil pro-
duction, which Gen. Doolittle de-
sCribed as "a continuing contest
between bombardiers and German
reconstruction battalions."
UNLESS the Germans were willing
30 end all resistance, they could not
afford TO stop repairing and re-
building plants which made re-
sistance possible" the commander
said.
"At Leuna, west of Leipzig, the
eneny's largest synthetic oil plant
had to be attacked 10 times by the
9th and three times by the Raj.
1T was the most heavily defended
single industrial plant in all Ger
many. Each attacking bomber was
the target of at least 437 88-mm.
and larger rapid fire heavy anti
aircraft and artillery cannon. A
smokescreen 30 miles IN perimeter
covered the area"
He said the bombers halted all
production there five times, but
each time the Germans applied
thousands of repair men to the
job of putting it back into partial
production.
The manager of the Leuna works
told one of our intelligence officers
that in addition to the IL 900 people
employed in operating the plant,
1000 men were assigned solely for
the repair of bomb damage"
In answer to a question whether
he believed Germany could have
been defeated by airpower alone,
Gen. Doolittle asserted under plans
adopted by the Allied high COM
mands the European war could not
have been won by airpower alone,
but this war did not prove whether
9 war could be won by airpower
alone If all energy were turned
in that direction"
The 9th Air Forces public rela-
tons staff, in a compilation today,
said the force dropped an average
of one ton of bombs every minute
during the last months of the war
against Germany.
Here are some other figures:
Tons of bombs dropped, 70l 300,
including 531,771 on targets in Ger
many.
Total number of bombs released,