The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-27
OkinoWo Isle BeIted Again
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stretching all the way from Japan itself to the Island of Pratas in the South China Sea.
 More than 200 Superfortresses sparked the supporting raids with an attack on two airfields and an aircraft plant on Kyushu, southern most of the Japanese home islands, in daylight today. It was the first Marianas-based B-29 raid on South- ern Japan.
 The Japanese communique did not identify the islands in the Kerama group on which it said the Ameri- cans had landed. However, a propa- ganda broadcast yesterday said 1000 troops were attempting to land from 100 barges on Tokashika, zamami and Aka, the three largest islets in the group.
 Though of little use in themselves, the Kerma Islands might serve as bases from which to attack OkinaWa. The capture of Okinawa would knock out the strongest Japanese base between Formosa and Japan and open a passage to the East China and Yellow Seas. The KeramaS lie directly opposite Naha on the southwest coast of Okinawa Island. Naha is capital Of Okinawa prefercture. which includes oil the Ryukyu Islands south of For mosa.
 Our garrison carried out inter- ceptions, while our air force, too. has also launched furious attacks" " the Japanese communique said.
 The communique claimed that five large American warShips had been sunk, five more seriously damaged, A planes shot down and no planes damaged by Japanese aircraft and ground batteries.
 A broadcast at noon today (Tokyo Time) reported that the big guns Of battleships and other warships had joined carrierbased planes for the fifth straight day in bombarding the Okinawa Islands.
 Indications were that four groups of Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's famed task force 58 and other ele- ments of the Fifth fleet were cruis- ing through the Okinawas and other islands in the Ryukyu chain stretch ing between Japan and Formosa, Tokyo said.
 Some 1,12O carrier planes parti- cipated in raids yesterday on the Okinawas Tokyo said. Of these, 75O alone raided the Naha area of Oki- nawa itself, directly opposite Aka, Tokoshida and Zamami. Okinawa, largest island in the group of the same name, is the site of one of the enemy's main naval bases and numerous airfields pro- tecting the southern approaches to Japan. Naha is its capital. Pacific fleet headquarters con- firmed that battleships and other warships of the Pacific fleet had teamed with carrier planes in raid- ing airfields and other installations on Okinawa yesterday.
 Japanese planes counter attacked the armada and inflicted some damage" on one Tight unit" the American communique said. Six Of the Japanese planes were shot down.
 Tokyo claimed that Japanese air and ground" forces had sunk two cruisers and two destroyers and damaged another destroyer heavily. The enemy estimated the fleet at as many as 70 warships, including 15 aircraft carriers, II battleships, 10 cruisers and 32 destroyers.
 Naval sources here reported the battleships in action off Okinawa included some of the new 45,OOO-ton giants.
 North of the Okinawas, American appropriateness were pinning down Japanese air strength in the home land with raids on the Oita and Tachiarai arfields in northern Kyushu and the Omura aircraft plants in northwest Kyushu.
 The first of the big fleet of SUD- erfortresses swept over Kyushu at 10:3O a. m. (Tokyo Time) and bomb- ed from high attitudes. Others fol- lowed in parade of destruction lasting about an hour.
 Kyushu had been attacked eight times previously by China-based B-29's, but this was the first raid from bases in the Marianas.