The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-19

victory in the precedent-shattering carrier assault on Toyko itself last Friday and Saturday
 Planes from Task Force 58, the worlds greatest concentration of aircraft carriers, destroyed or dam aged at least 36 ships and 659 en- emy planes in the tWo-day strike at the invasion jittery Japanese capi- tai. Three Japanese Warships were sunk and a fourth-an escort car rier-was set afire and overturned.
 49 Planes Lost
 Forty-nine American planes were lost in the raid, but none of the ships in the huge armada which penetrated to within less than BOG miles of Tokyo even was hit.
 BPS Superfortresses from the Marianas followed through today with another raid on Tokyo. Tho War Department announced merely that the giant raiders had hit thu capitals home island of Honsnu. but Japanese communique said about 100" B-29s bombed Tokyo "and its environs."
 Slight damage" was caused, Tokyo said.
 India based Superfortresses sim. ultaneously attacked targets on the Malay peninsula. presumably the great Singapore naval base. A raid on Sinapore might interrupt Japa. nese preparations to send warship, to the aid of the homeland and Two.
 The invasion of Two came on the fourth day of Q terrific naval bonn. bardment and the 74th day of ar air assault on the tiny patch o. land within flghter-plane range O Toyko.
 Japanese broadcastS said Ameri can warshipS completely ringed Iwt and fired shells into the island iron virtually every point on the com pass.
 The first tiny assault boats iron hundreds of transports lowering ou to sea hit the beaches at Two at a. m. (8 a. m. Tokyo time and D. m. Sunday, EWT) shortly aftel nearly 5000 rockets had scorched tn coastline.
 Scrambling ashore against ar tillery, mortar and machine-gun fire the green-clad Marine veterans o1 many another landing in the Pacific campaign quickly struck inland Wave after wave of reinforcements followed them.
 Weblet Edwards. who flew ovel the island in Liberator bombed as representative of the combined radio networks, said he could set the bright flare of hamethroWers a. the Marines assaulted inland pill boxes
 Another battle was raging on ar inland ridge, Edwards said. Troop. were landing far up and down tht coast, he said. Carrier plane. roared over the Marines at tree. top levels, straf1ng enemy stronS points, ahead.
 The entire island was covered b. clouds of smoke and dust, broker here and there by bursts of flam as shells and bombs found thei mark. Hundreds of Japanese wer believed to have bene killed il the preliminary bombardment, bu the remainder of the garrison 0 10000 to 15,000 was expected t put up a fanatical do-or-die fight
 The immediate prize were thre airstrips from which flying for tress, LiberatorS and even fighte planes could attack Tokyo. On Tokyo broadcast said Marines ol the southeast coast already Wer near" the Suribach airfield.
 Tokyo said the first invaders land ed on Futatsune Beach on south west Two from 100 assault craft Soon afterward, the broadcast said two other forces landed simultane ously on the eastern and southerl coasts. Achievements were nov ing toward the last two beache from 200 or more landing craft Tokyo reported.
 The enemy account indicated tha the Marines were striking inlan' from three sides in an attempt l. oyerrun the island and its airstrip before the garrison can recover full from the effects of the thousand of tons of shells and bombs pumpe' into Two since Friday.
 Pearl HarbOr Ghosts"
 Included in the bombardmen force, Nimitz's communique re vealed, were some of the ghosts of Pearl Harbor, including the ol' battleships New York. Texas, Ar kansas, Idaho and Tennessee.
 Vice Admiral Richmond Kelle, Turner has overall command of tn amphibious forces, Nimitz said, witl