Evening star., 1945-07-17
Task Force Attacks
Plants at Hitochi in
Daring Night Assault
Bomburdment Comes
On Heels of Raids
By 1000 Planes
MAP on Page A-3.J
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
GUAM, July ia daring
naval task force
steamed to within 80 miles of
Tokyo tonight Japan time) and
industrial targets
around Hitachi on the heels of
IN eight-hour raid sby 1,500
planes from American and Brit
sh carrier planes in the area Of
he Japanese capital.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz an
lounced the bombardment while it
vas still under way only few hours
after he reported carrier planes had
knocked out 374 vessels and 129 To-
,omotives in their weekend sweep
over Northern Japan.
The new battleship Iowa with her
blazing 16-inch guns led the bonn
parchment group in the closest ap-
oroach of any American naval task
force to the japanese capital. The
attack began at IL pm. Japanese
lime, 10 pm. Eastern war time.)
(Broadcasting from battle
ship only miles off the east Hon.,
Shu coast, Joe Hainline, NBC cor
respondent, said the warships
were pouring shells ashore at the
rate of $4,000 pounds a minute.
IF the fires which can be seen
on shore are any indication, the
American Sd Fleet is doing its job
WELL" he said. He added, $50
far there has been no retaliatory
gesture from the enemy.')
A curtain of steel from the Iowa
and supporting cruisers and de-
;troyers hammered at Hitachi's vital
copper smelter and aircraft parts
plants, previous target of Marianas-
based Super Forts, which sent 450
planes attacking four other Japa-
nese cities today.
Third Naval Bombardment
. 1t was the third naval lombard
ment of Japan's vulnerable coastal
industries within four days. The
Iowa presumably led the lombard
ment ships in close to shore for the
night attack against the industrial
plants which lie about a mile from
the coast. Hitachi is city Of 3d.
900 population.
In a week, Admiral William F.
Halsey's Sd Fleet has ranged from
Tokyo to the northern end of Japan
and back again, smashing with
bombs and shells vitality important
steel, munitions and oil plants, ship
ping and rail transportation and
airdromes.
Japan has taken it all helplessly
without offering more than token
resistance.
Today's unprecedented aerial as
sault on the Tokyo area was part of
a pre-invaSion attack involving
Q 1000 or more Allied planes ranging
from stubby little fighters to giant
Super Forts. Fighters and bombers
from the worlds greatest naval
swept the Tokyo area for
at least eight hours, and there was
no word that the attack by Admiral
Halsey's forces had ended.
First Combined Operation.
1t was the first combined Ameri-
can British operation against the
Japanese homeland and the fourth
carrier strike in eight days, includ-
ing the Saturday-Sunday attack on
Northern Japan in ordination
with naval bombardments which
crippled the steel mill cities of Mu-
rcran and Kamaishi.
The weekend air-sea lombard
ment was the most damaging blow
the fleet has dealt the Japanese
homeland.
The carrier planes caught hun
dredS of ships and surface craft
scurrying out of harborS like ants.
But 374 didn't get away.
AS a result reliable estimates
placed Japan's remaining usable
shipping at less than 100000 tons.
The enemy's always inadequate rail
transport was dealt an equally
heavy blow.
Revised Toll of Damage.
The revised toll of the damage
inflicted by the carriers last Satur-
day and Sunday included:
Sunk-140 ships and surface craft.
totaling 71,o00 tons and including
nine small warships.
Damaged-234 vessels, totaling
$4,000 tons and including 10 war;
craft.
Eighty-four locomotives were de-
stroyed, As damaged. Military in
stallations, ammunition dumps, air.
fields, factories and transportation
facilities were wrecked on Northern
HonShu, main island of Japan, and
Hokkaido, northernmost island of
Japan, to which Japanese have been
fleeing from Super Fortress raids.
Thirty-seven japanese planes were
destroyed and As damaged. This is
10 lower than the previously an
nounced total. but an increase of
eight in the number destroyed.
This record damage inflicted de-
spite extremely adverse" weather
such as has harried almost every
American carrier attack on Japan
cost the attacking forces 16 airmen
and "a planes. No American ships
were lost.
Jap Shipping Losses.
The tabulation of Japanese ship
ping losses in the two days showed:
Sunk-An old destroyer, two de-
stroyer escorts. two patrol craft,
four picket craft, rs cargo ships, six
train ferries, one oiler, three tugs.
SO luggers and 81 other craft.
Damaged--S Seven destroyer escorts
or gunboats, three patrol craft, one
transport, "a cargo ships, nine oilers.
three train ferries. one LIST tlanding
(See FLEET, Page A-4l