The Wilmington morning star., 1945-05-22
Japanese Air Power

The United States Pacific fleet has preyed
so successfully on the Japanese Navy that
Admiral Nimitz was led to say some months
arc that it had then been rendered Intellectual
that only a small remnant OF Japan's Nigh
ty sea strength with which 1t launched its
wsr was still afloat. The combined naval and
army air attack on Japan's shipping general
" has been equally successful
Now it is revealed that the warfare on ia
pans air strength has achieved astounding re-
suits. Through March 81, 21,170 enemy planes
had been accounted for, with the strong PROB
ability that as many more had been damaged
or DESTROYED. The count for Navy and Marine
fliers was II sol for the Army 1868. Losses
according to subsequent communicates, nave
bean up to average through March.
Whatever Japan's air strength may have
been at the outset, and whatever It's prooCc-
ton capacity since, both being unknown, it
is obvious that japan cannot compete eHec'
,ually "a. long with Allied air power especially
as B-29's are bombing its warplane plants.
It has been pointed out that the japanese
air forces are offering little resistance to the
as we come in sight," says one OF the raiders.
Comparing Japan's position with respect Of
air power to Germany's prior 10 the surren-
der. the New York Times says:
THE japanese plane losses gain added Sig
nificance when compared to those OF Germany.
Through April IS. when the Luftwaf1e had
almost ceased to exist, the Army Air Force
90 y1spes The R0v.
al Air Force had knocked down or burned up
on the ground an estimated $4,000 more, or a
total of so, 066 That would make the German
losses only slightly more than twice as many
as those of Japan. Even the most pessimlstic
American observers have not credited the
japanese with half as large or half as good an
air force as the German. The Japanese Air
Force may nc. be as near the end as was the
Luftwaffe 4 month ago, but it can't be very
far behind.
1.-THE one difference between the Japanese
Air Force and the Luftwaffe. at this stage
of the war in the Pacific, is that whereas the
German Air Force for some time prior to April
IS had been operating almost entirely from
it's reserves, until very recently the Japanese
aircraft factories still largely were untouch'
ed. The great fire raids Of the last few months
on Tokyo, Nagoya-Japan's greatest AIRCRAFT
center - Kobe, Kyoto and other cities are rap
idly taking care Of that situation On May
A. the Navy has revealed, carrier planes in
the two-day attack on Kyushu heavily damag-
ed the Kumamoto aircraft assembly plant,
which had gone rnscathed in the previous at
acks on the home islands. Even were Japan
factories untouched she has been losing planes
in rece t months at greater rate than her
optimum production
And TIE Times concludes:
OBSTRUCTION of an enemy's air force does
not mean the end of the war. The LuftWaffe
had lost superiority over Europe as early as
year ago this June. It required almost
year more of fighting to wipe it out and de-
feat the German Army. But destruction OF
the enemy's airpower and, with Japan, de-
struction of her fleet is prerequisite these
days to a successful land campaign. Against
Japan, both preliminary goals have been
achieved, or nearly So"