Evening star., 1945-06-01
Osaka Blasted
And Left Afire
By yB-29 Raid
$50 Super Forts,
150Other Planes
Hit Industrial City
By the Associated Press.

~ ~ 1AAN4s u dltS l-1lCdU waves
of Super Forts lighted fires in
the manufacturing center of
Osaka today that sent smoke bill
lowing $1,000 feet above Japan's
most highly industrialized city,
and simultaneously the 21st
Bomber Command announced a
similar raid Tuesday burned out
SO square miles of Yokohama.
THE principal portion of Yoko-
hama is virtually destroyed" B-29
headquarters announced, as return
ing crews indicated they had left
Osaka in the same condition today.
Elghty-six square miles of urban
industrial areas of japanese cities
are now known to have been de-
stroyed or heavily damaged by Super
Fort incendiary attacks.
Today's 600 plane raid matched
previous top strength fire strikes
with more than 45o fighter escorted
Super Forts unloading 5000 tons of
lncendiaries in their second flaming
attack on Osaka.
Fighter Opposition Light.
Semiofficial Japanese broadcasts
admitted flames started throughout
the manufacturing center of Osaka
were only gradually being brought
under control.
Smoke over Osaka was so dense
that many returning airmen re-
ported they couldn't see the flames.
Only light fighter opposition was
repor d, including antiquated
planes, probably because an escort
of about $50 Mustangs from Two
Jima swept in ahead Of the first
wave of B-29s. The few interceptors
were so unaggressive that one Amer
lean gunner described the raid-the
second mass fire attack on Osaka, as
"a sort Of milk run"
Super Forts flew through heavy
cloud formations and sometimes
snow, to reach the city, and began
unloading their flaming destruction
by precision instruments through a
light haze at 8:35 am. G:35 pm.
Thursday Eastern war time.
Toxic Admits Raging Fires.
They concentrated on harbor ia
cilities, warehouses and the i'm
portant Sumitomo plant manufac-
turing dural sheet metal and air
craft propellers. Shipyards, two
electrical equipment plants, power
stations and Osaka's main railroad
station, which is the heart of the
city's communications system, also
were under fire attack.
Tokyo broadcasts admitted fires
ragged throughout the northwestern
section, where there is the greatest
concentration of industries, includ-
ing the Sumitomo plant, and broke
out in nearby Amagasaki
An Osaka army communique
claimed Al Super Forts were shot
| down and 83 others damaged.
Some returning pilots reported
heavy antiaircraft fire, but most OF
them described it as meager to mod
crate
StIIkc III bTOaQ Dayllght.
Today's strike was made in broad
daylight, in contrast with the last
heavy fire raid on Osaka when more
than 300 unescorted B-29s dropped
over 1000 tons of incendiaries in the
early morning darkness.
Mustangs based on Two Jima es-
corted the B-29s today.
The Osaka raid was the fourth in
nine days against three of Honshu
Islands most vital war centers
B-29s dropped more than $500 tons
OF incendiaries on Tokyo in two Wis
its, Thursday and Saturday, and hit
Yokohama with 5000 tons Tuesday
Last weeks raids caused Tokyo
radio to scream that the enemy
capital was virtually burned out
Maj. Gen. Curtis E. Lemay, COM
mander of the 21st Bomber Com
mand, announced that his sky man.
moths had wiped out all the targets
they set for themselves in Tokyo
Photographs disclosed that almost
half of Tokyo was in ruins.
Osaka is located centrally on
Honshu. 1t had a population OF
3,252,340 and was among Japan's
most densely populated cities, with
an average of $4,000 persons per
square mile.
The city's most highly Industrial
lied district-a section south of the
Shin Yodo River-was today's tar
get.