Evening star., 1945-08-01
Record Force
OF 800 B-29s
Blasts Japan
5000 Tons Of Bombs
Dropped on Five
industrial Cities
BULLETIN.

BULLETIN.
The largest task force of
B-29s ever to attack Japan
approximately 300 - struck
five home island industrial
cities today. The Army Air
Forces here announced the
target cities as Hachioji,
Toyama, Makaoka, Mito and
Kawaski and said the planes
carried a record load Of 5000
tons of incendiary and high
explosive bombs.
BY the Associated Press.
GUAM, Aug. Combined
carrier and land-based plane
attacks cost Japan, by conserva-
tive official accounts, at least
1,546 ships and small craft sunk
or damaged in her home waters
in July and more than 1900 Of
her warplanes destroyed or
wrecked-but that is just a be-
ginning.
Admiral Halsey's Sd Fleet carrier
planes, including $50 British air
craft, alone destroyed or damaged
1,035 Japanese ships and small craft
in q days of almost ceaseless as
saults with torpedoes, bombs, rockets
and 50-caliber bullets. They ac-
counted for 1,278 aircraft, most OF
which were caught on the ground.
Admiral Halsey's force reduced
remnants of the Japanese feet to a
shambles-99 warships sunk or
heavily damaged, including three
disclosed today.
Many Freighters Sunk.
Land-based aircraft in Admiral
Nimitz's command sank another IS
vessels, mestly freighters and cargo
ships, and damaged 176 and de-
stroyed or damaged So japanese
planes, an Associated Press tabula-
ton of his communiques showed.
The Far East Air Forces immobil-
lied $50 japanese ships or small
craft totaling 250,000 tons after they
began operating from Okinawa
bases early in July, Gen. MacAr-
thurs communique said today.
The totals include many scores Of
barges, luggers and other small craft
but exclude many communique re-
ports of several" or "a number of"
vessels sunk or damaged. They also
exclude the number of Japanese
planes wrecked by the Far Eastern
Air Force by B-29s or by B-29 escort
ing Mustangs, figures for which are
not available.
Halsey Fleet Still Prowling.
July was just preinvasion begin
ming of the devastation to be
wrought on Japan, nearly every
commander in the Pacific warned.
and the Tokyo radio said Admiral
Halsey's feet still prowled off Hon.
shu, where it already has spent %
days, unchallenged by sea or air.
1t. Gen. Barney M. Giles, deputy
commander of the United States
Army Strategic Air Forces, said to-
day that B-29s would step up their
tempo until the war lords are
forced into unconditional sur
render" He promised 8.000-ton
bomb raids by forces of 1900 Super
Forts.
From the Philippines, Col. James
o. Guthry, acting commander of the
18th AAF Fighter Command, de-
clared on the Army Air Forces 38th
anniversary "our pilots now look
forward to the day when they will
be based at Tokyo"
The Japanese know they have
lost the war, but it is not nearly
over, was the SOLDERING note sounded
at Pearl Harbor by Rear Admiral
William P. Blandy, newly-named
commander of the Pacific Fleets
cruisers and destroyers.
More Reports of Damage.
They hope to beat down our re-
sistance and our will to win. The
current idea that the end of the
war is just around the corner is bad
business" Admiral Blandy said.
Today's Nimitz communique, sup
plying new reports of damage in
fiicted by American carrier planes
Monday on japanese shipping at
Maizuru naval base on Honshu's
west coast, added eight ships and
SO planes to the number destroyed
or damaged there. Those figures
increased to 68 ships and small
craft and to 227 planes the num-
bers destroyed or damaged at Mai
zuru on Monday. Admiral Nimitz
added one destroyer sunk and a
light cruiser and a destroyer dam
aged to the fast-growing list of
warships knocked oV.
Admiral Nimitz said reports of
British carrier strikes on Monday
had not been received. Bad weather
that day sent American pilots across
Honshu to Maizuru and into the
Nagoya Osaka area. but they found
excellent hunting.
Installations Also Blasted.
In addition to their toll of ships
and aircraft, American flyers in
flicted this devastation on ground
installations:
Damaged-Nineteen war factories,
including firing of the four main
buildings of the government subsi-
died Kanto special steel company.
which turns out such special prod
ucts as ball bearings and gun bar
rels, and the Japan International
Aircraft Co., which manufactures
baka (suicide) bombs and was be-
lieved to be the only propeller fac
tory still operative before Mondays
attack. Both of these factories were
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