The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-07-23
Mystery
 Of Fleet
(continued from paee D

Czarist Russian fieet was ambushed and destroyed by the Mikado's war ships more than 40 years ago.
 412 Vessels Hit
 But this time the Japanese had little except their reluctant air force to intercept the attackers-if Hal- sey intends to force the straits into the shipping damned Sea of Japan.
 A coInmunique revealed that the 32,270-ton Nagato, one of the four known surviving battleships in the imperial fleet, was one of the 4l2 vessels smashed up by Halsey's raiders in their l0-day foray along the east coast of Japan. The Na- gato was heavily damaged in the Allied carrier strike on the Yoko- suka naval base in Tokyo bay last Wednesday.
 Other developments in the spread ing pre-invasion attack on Japan included:
 IA fleet of 75 to 100 Superior tresses unloaded almost 500 tons of fire bombs on the huge Ube sym thetic oil plant in southwestern Honshu late last night. There was no aerial opposition and only weak anti-aircraft fire and all the Army B-29s returned safely from the att tack, their 96th major blow at Japan and their 11th against the en- emy's dwindling oil resources.
 2-Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle assumed command of a new U. s. Eighth Air Force in the Okinawa, equipped with Superfortresses and supporting fighters for a share in the softening-up bombing of Japan.
 we may be able to save the lives of lots of American boys" said Doolittle, veteran of the first Tokyo strike and the destructive air war on Germany.
 3-Tokyo reported an American surface force shelled Paramushiro Island, site of an important Japa- nese base in the northern Kuriles.
 4-2o0 Army M Stang fighters from Two rocketed and machine gunned 9o-naile stretch of souths ern Konshu from Osaka westward to Okaynla in daylight yesterday, causing extensive damage to air fields and communications. One M Stang was shot down but the pilot was rescued at sea.
 \5-The Japanese said another 100 U. s. Army fighters and bombers pounded Shangfai's airfields for 90 minutes in the third attack on that China port.
 6-Other Allied flyers sank or damaged 1S more Japanese ships in patrol sweeps along the Asiatic coast and the Netherlands Indies, and hit targets in Indo-China and the Pescadores Islands between Formosa and China.
 "A Japanese admiral returned from an inspection trip of KyuShu's defenses and announced that the island was ready to meet the ex- pected invasion tat any time"
 3-Toyko followed up that statement with the announcement that all Japanese railways and private vehicles were being brought under government control in pre- paration for the battle of the home- land.
 One-Sided Battle First accounts of the new fleet strikes from Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, headquarters gave only sketchy details of the actions.
 Ninaitz said Halsey's destroyers- eight according to Japanese reports intercepted the enemy convoy flve miles west of Nvjima Cape shortly after midnight this morning.
 In a brief. one-sided gun fight, the Allied raiders sank one medium and one small cargo vessel, prob ably sank third, and damaked the conveys lone escort. None of the Allied warships was hit.
 Nojima Cape is at the southern tip of the Bose Peninsula, eastern army of Tokyo Bay. The Cape was shelled by American cruisers and destroyers before dawn last Thurs day.
 Results of the shelling of Chichi were not immediately announced.
 Nimitz, communique revealed for the first time. however, the results of Halsey's 10-day foray up and down the Honshu and Hokkaido, coasts, during which the fleet car- red out four surface bombardments. During which the fleet carried out | four surface bombardm while i its carrier planes flew some 1000 Sorities without meeting aerial op- position.
 Japs Do No Damage
 The American and British airmen destroyed POS Japanese planes and damaged 348, sank 160 ships and smaller craft and damaged another 256. Only three of the Japanese planes were bagged aloft--they were "snoopers" that tried unsuccessfully to reach the Allied fleet.
 Tn the climax attack on the Okkosuka Naval station Wednesday. American Naval flyers sank one destroyed, cable layer, three small cargo ships and seven motor torpe- do boats.
 Damaged were the Nagato, whose superstructurej was badly holed by torpedo and dive bombers, a flak ship which had its stern blown of an old destroyer, four luggdrs and two small craft.
 American losses for the 10 days of the attack were AS planes and 5l men, while the British lost only two planes and rescued the crews of both.
 Jap Airmep Ineffective
 Reports from the returning B-2e crews who took part in the Ube attack last night pointed up the in- ability or reluctance of the Jap- anese air force to defend it's bat tered homeland. Not single enemy fighters challenged the giant bonn