Evening star., 1945-06-03
Pacific
Continued From First Page.)
group of islands in the Ryukyus be.
low Okinawa.
In addition to hitting Kyushu

group of islands in the Ryukyus be-
low Okinawa.
In addition to hitting Kyushu,
Admiral Halsey's planes yesterday
struck Minami Daito Island, 200
miles east of Okinawa.
Among the Kyushu targets, Ka-
goshima has both land and sea-
plane bases for navy planes. Mi
yazaki, on the southeast coast, has
a three-runway air base.
Wide-sweeping, if limited, air ac-
tions elsewhere were announced to-
day by Admiral Nimitz:
Search planes sank a small cargo
ship in the East China Sea yester-
day. Other search planes the same
day hit small shipping off the main
japanese island of Honshu, whose
cities of Tokyo, Yokohama and
Osaka are smoking from recent
heavy B-29 fire bomb raids.
Bonins Airfields Blasted.
Seventh fighter Mustangs struck
enemy airfields in the Bonins above
captured Two yesterday. Seventh
Air Force Liberators hit by-passed
Truk in the Carolines.
Fourth Marine aircraft wing
fighters pounded enemy bases south
west of the Palau Group Friday.
Emphasizing the slow mopup
character of bypassing operations in
the Pacific, Admiral Nimitz said 63
Japanese were killed and 63 cap
tured between May 20 and May 26
on Two, Saipan, Tinian and Guam.
Admiral Halsey's return to the
Pacific war conceded with indica-
tions that new far-reaching blows
against Japan were in the making.
He took over May 27 on his flag
ship off Okinawa, relieving Admiral
Raymond A. Spruance, 5th Fleet
commander.
Admiral Nimitz announced that
Admiral Spruance and his carrier
force commander, Vice Admiral
Marc A. Mitscher, who started their
5th Fleet cruise with the first car
rier plane attack on Tokyo last
February 1917, would have tempor-
ary headquarters here. No new as
signment was announced for Ad-
miral Mitscher.
Admiral Mccain returned to sea
with Admiral Halsey, resuming
command of the Sd Fleets carriers.
Expanded Operations Expected.
Admiral Nimitz also disclosed that
the amphibious phase of the Oki-
nawa campaign was over and this
carried the implication that ex-
panded operations against Japan
could be expected.
The fleet admiral announced that
as commander in chief, Pacific
Ocean areas, he was assuming di-
rect control of all forces in the Ryu-
kyus, including 1t. Gen. Simon
Bolivar Buckner's 10th army of SOL
diers and marines on Okinawa.
Admiral Spruance previously had
been the overall commander in the
Ryukyus.
Vice Admiral Harry w. Hill, in
another change of command, re-
placed Admiral Richmond Kelly
Turner as immediate head of the
amphibious forces of the Pacific
Fleet.
Admiral Dimitz disclosed that Ad-
miral Spruance had been awarded
the Navy Cross for extraordinary
heroism" in the Two Jima and Oki-
nawa operations and that he would
be engaged in planning mightier
campaigns. These might include in
vasion of Japan's mainland or
strikes against the China coast.
Heavy Naval Casualties.
In a short talk here, Admiral
Spruance said the Okinawa cam
palgn has resulted in the greatest
naval casualties encountred in any
of our operations to this time"
Navy losses through May % were
announced as 4,27O killed
and missing and 4,171 wounded.
(The Tokyo radio broadcast a
claim by Domei, japanese news
agency, that 303 American YES
sells had been sunk and 263
heavily damaged in the Okinawa
area since March %.
A navy spokesman in Washing
ton put American ship losses
around the invasion island since
April 1, date of the Yank landing,
at 25, including two merchant
ammunition vessels. More than
A other United States craft have
been reported damaged.)
Admiral Spruance's command, in
Its four months of operations, soft
ened up Japan with carrier raids