Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-20
Carrier Force
Blasting Japan
For Third Day
Enemy Fleet Ignores
Challenge; Kobe
And Kure Blasted
BY the Associated Press.

PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUAR-
TIERS, Guam, Mar. 20-Vice Ad-
miral Marc A. Mitscher's mighty
carrier force was reported bomb
ing Japan today third straight
day-defying the imperial fleet
to come out for battle despite
enemy communique claims that
seven of Admiral Mitscher's
capital ships were sunk and one
damaged.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz an
nounced that carrier pilots moved
northward yesterday to loose bombs
and rockets against shipbuilding
Kobe and major naval base, Kure,
on the home island of Honshu. Sun
day. carrier planes sent probably
$500 tons of bombs winging down
on Kyushu and Shikoku, indusr
trially vital islands at the southern
end of the empire.
Enemy attacks are still continu-
ing" the Tokyo radio said in an
English language broadcast to the
United States today. The announcer
did not say whether the raid was
on HonShu or whether the bombers
had returned against Kyushu.
Is Carriers Reported in Group.
Tokyo identified the raiders as
the mainstay of Task Force 58'-
the carrier force which leaped into
fame last June by destroying 405
japanese warplanes on one day;
then sinking or damaging II Jap
enese warships in a thrilling sea
chase the next.
The enemy radio said the force
comprised five groups of ships. in
Guiding Is carriers, and was about
300 miles south of Shikoku when
first sighted Sunday. 1t added that
Japanese flyers were continuing
their attacks against the United
States Fleet.
Japanese communiques claimed,
without confirmation, that Japa-
nese planes sank seven American
warships and heavily damaged one
in counterattacks Sunday and yes
terday, while 1873 carrier aircraft
were shot down. Unoficial Tokyo
broadcasts admitted the loss of at
least 20 planes.
If Admiral Mitscher is continuing
his attack, the total tonnage of in
cendiary and explosive bembs and
rockets fired at the empire in three
days would exceed 1000 tons. B-2os
dropped $500 tons of incendiaries on
Nagoya yesterday in a return at
tack on that industrial city. Car
rier planes loosed an equal or great
er weight as 1,4O0 of them roared
over Kyushu and Shikoku Sunday
and over Kobe and Kure yesterday.
Shipyards and Shipping Blasted.
japanese shipping in the inland
sea and at Kobe Harbor and ship
building and ship repair yards, al
ready overtaxed by battle damaged
vessels, were prime targets of yes
terday's strikes.
American pilots defied land based
japanese fighters and antiaircraft
as they swept in to strike Kobe and
Kure. both of which had to be
reached by crossing Honshu from
the east, or Shikoku from the
south.
The raids probably were aimed
at blasting small cargo vessels out
of service, as well as destroying wal
plants and rail installations. With
her merchant fleet heavily damaged
Japan feverishly has been building
small wooden vessels for several
months in the hope of eluding SUBJ
marines as they carried their war
vital cargoes to homeland's factories
from China, Korea and Manchuria
Kobe still was smoldering from
Saturdays 2,500-ton incendiary raid
by 300 Super Forts when the car
rier planes struck. One of Japan's
most congested cities, Kobe is an
Important iron, steel and ordnance
center, as well as major shipbuilding
| city.