Evening star., 1945-08-02
Flames Blanket
4Cities Hit in
RecordB.29Raid
Bombordments Near
Tokyo and on Wake
installations Barred
Ey the Associated Pre7s.

1U AM, mug. Z.-OOllu ollCCIo
of flame, visible more than 180
miles, blanketed four japanese
cities and a huge oil refinery
center today as a great fleet of
800 B-29s smashed Japan with
6,632 tons of bombs and mines
in the greatest air raid in his
tory.
The sight was incredible-beyond
description" declared Sergt. Lester
L. Sharpe of Kansas City, Kans. as
crews returned to their Marianas
bases.
Fast little fighter planes carried
on the attack sas the Super Forts
winged home. simultaneously, re-
ports from Admiral Nimitz and
Tokyo radio told of submarine and
warship bombardments on either
side of Tokyo, the shelling of Wake
Island and a daring rescue on a
Japanese held Marshall Island atoll.
Only one B-29 was lost as the
hundreds of big planes dumped their
promised cargoes on the refineries
and the four cities forewarned of
their fate.
Practically No Opposition.
"They knew we were coming but
they didn't do anything about it, y
said Maj. William C. Wilson of
Springfield, Ohio. "We buzzed in
and bombed, then barreled out with
practically no opposition. Gen.
LIE May was right-the Japs are fiat
on their backs"
OF the attack on the four indus
trial cities-three rail and one
aluminium center-the pilots said !:
Bombing was good to excellent" 1t
was the same against the Kawasaki
petroleum area near Tokyo.
Some of the Super Forts carried
out the deepest mining operation of
the Pacific war, reaching almost to
the Russian border.
Sixty Mustang fighter planes
lashed Osaka, Japans second city,
and nearby Kobe, its principal sea-
port and shipbuilding center, at
noon, the Tokyo radio reported.
Sixty more Mustangs hit factories
and transportation in another area,
out poor reception of the enemy
broadcast garbled the name Of the
district.
Jap Isle Bombarded.
The Tokyo radio reported that
Allied carrier planes and warships
bombed and shelled o Island, 10
miles south of Tokyo in the Sagami
Sea, yesterday, indicating Admiral
Halsey's Sd Fleet had resumed its
attacks on the homeland after more
than two days Of official sileEGe
on its activities.
Tokyo said one cruiser and three
destroyers shelled o Island and
that three submarines shelled the
western side of the Cape of Erimo
on southern Hokkaido.
B-29 pilots reported good to ex-
cellent results and said general
were raging in all
of today's targets. Both fighter
and antiaircraft fire were
none too moderate"
Seven hundred seventy-eight of
the B-29s attacked the five targets
and the other AZ dropped mines.
Their total bomb ana mine load of
6 ,632 tons was reported to be the
worlds greatest. 1t compared with
6 400 tons cascaded on Normandy on
Europe's D day. The raid also estab-
lished several B-29 records, includ-
ing both the total participating and
the tonnage. Greatest previous Super
Fort raid involved 625 of the sky
giants and some 4,500 tons of bombs.
The raid today put 5000 airmen
over the homeland and required
the services of $4,000 ground crew.
of 54,000-to establish
more records.
Wake Island Blasted.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, little
Wake Island, symbol of Marine de-
fiance of overpowering japanese
forces, bobbed into the news as Ad-
miral Nimitz reported Pacific fleet
carrier planes and battleship
bombed and shelled enemy installa-
tions there yesterday. Results were
not reported.
The Marshalls, major islands Of
which were captured by Americans
18 months ago, also shared interest
as destroyer escort and several
LCIs Qanding craft, infantry res
cued 283 natives from Japanese
held Jaluit. This increased to l.
783 the number of Marshellese res
cued by daring light fleet units this
year.
PAT Thunderbolts, recently added
to the United States Army Strategic
Air Forces fighter strength on Two
Jima, made their first attack on
Japan yesterday. Accompanied by
Mustangs, the force of 81 fighters
(Sep SIJPER FORTS Page A-3)