The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-07-11
US. Third Fleet Withdraws from Japan 5 Coast
 Alter Big Attack NEW COMMAND E
 GIVEN MatARIhUR Four Different Air Forces 10 Continue H0mmering
 Nip Islands
By Leonard MiIliman
1As.eeIs.sa Frs.. N.r EaI.erl

| tAssociated Press War Editorl
 Enemy broadcasts said today the mighty U. s. Third Fleet withdrew from Japanese home waters after sending 1900 carrier planes swarm ing over Tokyo airdromes for f1 hours yesterday, but warned that the raiders might return at any moment and also warned that Anl- erican invasion is imminent. Tokyo said about l5o" Okinawa- based fighters carried on the unrt- hitting air attack today. sweepins suicide airdroues. on KyuShn Is- and Of southern Japan.
 The Mikado'ss air force made no announced attack on the Ttiirst r1eets Task Force @ but the fifst time in months hurled q handhilsof nterceptors axd lnsts s*the D. s. i4th Air Force ranging over Asia.
 Chinese troops making the only substantial ground gains of the war occupied Sincl1eue, former .l4th USAAF base roughly 200 miles north of Canton and drove toward Kanhsien, another former Ameri- can air base. Five airdronies have now been retakep by the resurgrnt Chinese.
 Folior.bp ifaid Alert
 While Adm. Chester w. NlmItz was silent s0n today's operations oi Task Force 3a. Tokyo reports said American warships withdrew flor some distance to the south" But the Japanese admitted the task force is still in the seas in the vi- cinity of our homeland" and de- lenders were .on the alert against a possible fnllow-up raid"
 Nipponesc propagandists claimed 26 carrier aircraft were shot down by interceptors yesterday and as- serted almost no damages" were inflicted on the paorc than 10 air dromes hdAlhed and strafed.
 Preliminary reports from the task force said the attack account ed for at least iS4 planes, including 72 definitely destroyed. This cov- cred only the first six hours of the attack
 Gi Ships Damaged
 Other American air units hit Al small Nipponese ocean going ves- sells from Japan to Java, and 23 river craft in Java. The bulk 0f these 64 vessels were damaged.
 Admiral Nimitz promised that strong United States air forces" s-.s.u 'Jil conquered islands with in effective striking distance of oapan. will continue to hammer enemy shipping and defenses pre- paratory to further amphibious as- saults."
 New Command
 Simultaneously he announced Gen. Douglas MacArthur has a. sumed command of all army air forces based on Okinawa. incident al to regroupins American air pow CT in the Western Pacific flor greaer operating efficiency" Four different air commands are nov hammering at Japan.
 Tokyo conceded American air forces held supremacy over tho homeland, but commented mag tery of the air is not an absolute factor in deciding the result of an invasion.
 New Landing. RerneO
 A current rumor in the Philip pines has 1t that lone Japanese plane rescued Gen. Tomoyuki Yam ashita, supreme Nipponese com mander in the islands who once boasted he would make Macarthur surrender.
 MacArtllur reported Australian troops under his command made two new landings ill the Balikpa- pan area of southeastern Borneo, completing our control of the Balikpapan Bay shorc area" Oth- CT Aussies advanced a milc- toward flaming oil fields and beat of two nipht infiltratiOn attacksl