Evening star., 1945-05-25
1000 More Tons
Of Bombs Ruined
On Jap Capital
BY the Associated Press.

GUAM, Saturday, May 26.-A
force of about 500 Super Fort
resses dropped more than 4,00C
tons of bombs on Tokyo's Maru-
nouchi business district and i'm
perial government center this
morning in the second big fire
bomb raid on that city in less
than 48 hours.
The Japanese capital still was
burning from the record 550-plane
fire raid early Thursday, in which
preliminary reconnaissance photo
graphs showed at least 80 square
miles of the Shinagawa industrial
center was damaged by fire.
Haze and smoke obscured pictures
and Maj. Gen. Curtis E. Lemay's
headquarters said considerable addi-
tional damage probably was inflicted.
Area Runs Westward.
The target area for todays task
force that struck shortly after mid
night, Japanese time (about II am.
Friday, Washington time), was South
Central Tokyo, bordered on the
north by the imperial palace and on
the south by the Shinagawa area
bombed Thursday.
Todays target area runs westward
from Tokyo Bay through the city's
department store and Office build
ing district.
On the outskirts of the Maru-
nouchi district is the Imperial Hotel
which survived the 1928 earthquake.
Major government buildings also are
situated there.
One end of the Gina, which is
the city's Broadway. runs into the
Marunouchi.
Modern Buildings in Area.
The new area to fall under the
B-29 bombsights probably has the
best built and most modern build
ings in Japan. These include the
nations largest so called f1reproof
and earthquakeproof office struc-
lures.
Damage achieved in this strike
will be the supreme test of the effec-
tiveness of the new fire bombs which
have laid waste already 35.9 square
miles of Tokyo in six previous in
cendiary raids.
In the target area also are piers.
docks, wharves and warehouses OF
the highly important sector OF
Tokyo's water front north Of the
Shinagawa rail marshaling yards,
bombed Thursday.
Outside the Marunouchi business
district the target area is known to
include several important war plants
producing aircraft instruments and
components, machine tools and elec-
trical equipment.
Extensive military storage areas
also are located in this region OF
Tokyo.
Raids Last an Hour.
Speed in crossing the target IS
one key to the performance achieve
ments of the Super Fort. The 500
plane force this morning unloaded
its 4,O0o-ton incendiary cargo in a
little more than one hour.
One main objective of the quick
unloading of the great bomb ton
mage is to start SO much fire over SO
great an area the japanese fire
fighting effort will be overwhelmed.
Another objective is to give the
Japanese antiaircraft gunners and
interceptor plane pilots less time
to shoot at the Super Forts.
Among targets struck in the
Thursday raid were the giant mar
shalling yards of the principal Jap
anese railroad line. Destruction OF
these yards could be expected to tie
up rail traffic for the empire.
Many returning pilots reported
encountering intense anti-aircraft
fire, some fighter interception and
balls of fire" which might have
been PHOSPHORUS bombs.
Members of one crew said they
saw two B-29s shot down; another
crew reported three downed Wheth-
er these men saw the same or diff
ferent planes was not stated.
Headquarters has not reported on
losses. Domei. japanese News
Agency, said Tokyo newspapers dis
played pictures of three Super Forts