Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-14
Entire Area
IsCovered by
Dense Smoke
BY the Associated Press.

GUAM, July 14.-The United
States Sd Fleet, bombarding
Japan for the first time, set great
fires raging through steel city
on Northern HonShu today as
1000 of it's carrier planes blasted
nearby targets on the northern
home islands in co-ordinated
blows.
The guns of the newest battle
ships, cruisers and deStroyers wiped
out the Imperial Iron and Steel
Works rolling mill at Kamaishi-275
miles north of Tokyo-and fierce
fires ragged through adjacent coke
ovens.
Kamaishi has prewar population
of about $4,000, but an influx OF
workers to the steel mills is believed
to have swelled it to nearly twice
that.
The Imperial Iron and Steel Works
is one of the most important in the
whole japanese Empire.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz, an
nouncing in a special communique
that the bombardment lasted for
two hours, reported that the entire
area was covered by dense smoke
clouds which rose thousands of feet
above the city
Retire After Smelling.
The Sd Fleet poured S to 16 inch
shells into the city before retiring.
The fact that 5-inch shells were
used in the bombardment indicates
that the warships approached the
shores at least as close as 10 miles,
because that is the range of this
type of she'll
The bombardment force was
commanded by Rear Admiral j. F.
Shafroth of Denver, Colo, and
Washington, D. C
James Lindsey, Associated Press
correspondent witnessing the bonn
bardment from the deck of the bat
tleship South Dakota, reported jap
anese opposition was "meager and
apparently timid." He said there
was no report of damage to Amer
lean vessels.
The American squadron steamed
within plain sight" of Honshu to-
deliver its lethal load, Mr.. Lindsey
added, and "the japanese chose to
do very little about it."
Results Closely Observed.
In his report to Admiral Nimitz
Admiral Shafroth did not mention
opposition by shore batteries or
planes. His announcement that the
Smelling continued for two hours
indicates, also, that the results were
closely observed by slow-fying OBJ
servation planes from cruisers and
battleShipS.
The latest communique was the
fourth issued by Admiral Nimitz to-
day, record number.
The Imperial Iron g. Steel Works
mill was supplied with coal from the
neighboring island of Hokkaido,
which was attacked by the carrier
planes.
The coal is transported across
Tsugaru Strait in ships and rail
ferries which were hammered
throughout the day by the Avengers,
Helldivers, Corsairs and Hellcats.
Hokkaido Attacked First Time.
In the co-ordinated attack the
carrier planes, which only five days
before had raked Tokyo's airfields,
were raining bombs, bullets and
rockets on Northern Honshu and the
island of Hokkaido-the latter never
before touched by American air
power
(The Japanese Domei agency
reported that some Super Fort
resSes participated in the air
raids, which had lasted for seven
hours, and added that "at pres
ent" there was no indication
pointing to enemy plans to I'M
dertake landing operations in
this part of the japanese main
land."D
Thus did Admiral William F. Hal
sey's Sd Fleet carry war relentlessly
home to Japan, defying what is left
of the enemy feet and seeking out
the boarded air force which Japan
is saving against the day of invasion.
Correspondent Lindsey disclosed
that the marauding forces of speedy
battlewagons had been hugging Jap
anese waters ever since its planes
bounced on Tokyo's guardian ring
of airfields Tuesday.
Japs Admit Smelling.
While the island of Hokkaido has
many airfields, few planes usually
are believed based on that fog
shrouded part of the homeland.
GA japanese communique adj
mitted the Smelling of Kamaishi
and vicinity" but made no men,
ton of damage except to say
that the bombardment was "in
concert" with carrier plane at
tacks on air bases, harbors and
'other facilities" Of Northern