Evening star., 1945-07-19
500 B-29s Fire
-Four Jap Cities
In Record Raid
Failure of U. S. Fleet
To Find Big Enemy
Worships Indicated
BULLETIN.


GUAM, Friday, July 20. (P).
"A force of more than 600
B-29s, the greatest Super
Fort fleet ever sent out
against Japan, put the torch
to four more Japanese cities
early today. The targets in
cluded Hitachi, shelled re-
Gently by American and Brit
ish warships, and an oil
refinery, the latter blasted
with demolition bombs. The
giant planes carried nearly
1000 tons of explosives. The
other cities were Choshi, Fu-
kui and Okazaki.
BY the Associated Press.
GUAM, July 19.-Americar
cruisers and destroyers movet
within less than miles of Tokyo
Bays Chiba Peninsula and bonn
barded coastal installations early
today after carrier pilots heavily
attacked Japanese warShipS dis
covered inside the bay yesterday
Japanese broadcasts said the
great Allied feet sis believed to
be still roaming off our Pacific
coast" hunting for potential in
yasion beaches, but it sent no
carrier planes over Japan todayO
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz's COM
munique today reported the carrier
pilots attacked enemy combatant
ships at Yokosuka naval base, only
l8 miles south of Tokyo, and mel
accurate" intense antiaircraft fire.
That led to immediate specula-
ton that remnants of the once
powerful Japanese Navy had beer
discovered at Yokosuka, but many
hours later semiofficial information
indicated the warships probably
were no larger than cruisers.
Japs May Have Escaped.
II that is true, the Imperia
Navy's remnants-possibly 10 air.
craft carriers, to battleships anc
lesser warships-again may have
escaped the wrath of Admiral Will
liam F. Halsey, jr's daring Sd Fleet
For nine months-ever since its
crushing defeat off the Philippines
October 24-25-remnants of the
japanese Navy have been in hiding
consistently declining repeated
challenges of both American and
British naval forces which ranged
almost the length of the home
islands.
The cruiser destroyer lombard
ment of Nojima Cape, only SO miles
south of Tokyo at the eastern en-
trance to Tokyo Bay, carried into
the third successive day the naval
shelling of Honshu near the enemy
capital.
No Estimate Of Damage.
The Nimitz communique said bad
weather and poor visibility pre-
vented estimating damage Of either
new carrier raids yesterday or the
shelling, but it did disclose that
Tuesdays British and American
carrier sweeps destroyed or damaged
railroad installations, barracks
hangers, warehouses, lighthouses
radio stations and other ground in
stallations all the way from Tokyo
to Matsushima, 200 miles north.
Despite its heavy losses in the war
Japan still has 5000, 900 to 10000 ,0O(
men, including the Emperor's bes'
troops, to defend their homeland.
The enemy has little else, how
ever. The japanese Air Force ha:
permitted the combined American
and British Pacific Fleet to bomt
and Shell its war industries and mill.
tary targets at will for more thar
a week without sending so much al
a squadron to counterattack.
The japanese Navy is in hiding
"camou1aged" in some haven, Vict
Admiral Marc A. Mitscher of Car
rier Task Force So fame said re-
Gently. The United States Pacific
Fleet discovered some remnants II
the Inland Sea March 18, and car
rier pilots promptly sank the $4,000.
ton dreadnaught Yamato, two
cruisers and several destroyers.
Since then the United States
Navy has sought to find it-eithel
for finish fight at sea, or to blast
it from its hideout.
900 Planes in Raid, Japs Say.
The Tokyo radio reported that 90(
British and American carrier planes
participated in yesterdays raid'
and made the wholly unconflrmec
claim that rs were shot down anc
As heavily crippled" 1t said A
were downed and 38 damaged ovel
Yokosuka.
There was practically no dam
age" from the strikes, Tokyo said.
The cruiser destroyer lombard.
ment began at IL pm. wednesday
and continued into this morning
Japanese time, about noon Wed
nesday, Eastern war time) undel
command of Rear Admiral Carl F
Holden. Six-inch shells Of four light
cruisers-the Topeka. Oklahoms
City, Atlanta and Dayton-and 5.
inchers from the destroyers Ault
and John w. Weeks ripped int
coastal installations on Nojims
Cape. The cape is on the southern
end of Chiba Peninsula, at the east.
ern side Of Tokyo Bay.
The fact that their comparatively
small guns battleships fire IA anc
is inch shells--have a limited range
indicated that Admiral Holden's
force moved even closer inshors
than the miles from which battle
(See FLEET, Page A-4.)