AIR LANDING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25293, 29 August 1945, Page 7

AIR LANDING

48 PLANES USED TECHNICIANS BUSY ERECTION OF RADIO FLIGHT CONTROL BASE fßecd. 10.10 p.m.) NEW YORK, Ang. 29 Forty-eight planes took part in the landing on the Atsugi aerodrome yesterday morning, says the Associated Press. The advance party immediately began to arrange for American signals and landing procedures in preparation for the air armada due on Thursday. The party brought in special equipment to provide immediately for contact with the Okinawa staging area. Technicians also began to make the Atsugi airfield suitable for the reception of large American planes. The field at present is barely large enough for the purpose. Three of the planes carried parts of a radio station" which the personnel had been trained to erect within an hour. All the men wore combat equipment. One large American transport plane bound for Atsugi crashed on the Okinawa airfield, killing 20 Americans and destroying valuable communications equipment. The accident is reported from Okinawa to have caused some delay in obtaining information from Japan. Colonel E. K. Warburton took over at airfield after the arrival of the American party. General Kenney, air commander in the Pacific, said Colonel Warburton knew more about Japanese planes than anyone in the South-West Pacific. The officer in charge of communications, Colonel S. Auchincloss, said he expected to make early use of the Tokyo radio. His men were taking over all radio and telephonic equipment, including all harbour and aerodrome radar. Technicians at present are erecting control towers which are expected to handle planes arriving at the rate of 300 a day. MAY FRATERNISE AMERICANS IN JAPAN AMICABLE RELATIONS AIM NEW YORK, Aug. 27 "When the Allied occupation of Japan begins no non-fraternisation order will be issued as in Germany," says the New York Sun correspondent in Manila. "General Mac Arthur is not expected to impose lengthy military control over civilian affairs, and newspapers and radio, although temporarily closed, will apparently soon be re-estab-lished under Japanese management with Allied supervision. "General Mac Arthur's desire to develop amicable relations between the Japanese and the occupation forces, the correspondent continues, "is indicated by his decision not to distribute the War Department's pamphlet to the troops about to land in Japan. Although 100,000 copies of the pamphlet have been shipped to Manila it is believed that General Mac Arthur feels it might give the soldiers a wrong impression about the Japanese. "One well-informed source said General Mac Arthur would try to handle the Japanese justly and avoid imposing controls which were likely to stir up Oriental animosity." ISLANDS SURRENDER TRUK, PELLEWS, YAP, ROTA NEW YORK. Auk. 27 The Japanese garrison on the island of Truk has agreed to surrender. The Associated Press correspondent at Guam says Japanese officers boarded American "warships off Yap, the Pellewß, Jaluit and Rota to arrange details of local surrenders. COMMAND IN BURMA AIR MARSHAL SAUNDERS (Re< d. 6.10 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 28 Air Vice Marshal Hugh Saunders has beon appointed to command the R.A.F. in Burma. He will be carrying the act-ing-rank of Air Marshal. He was in charge of postings at the Air Ministry last autumn and before that commanded No. 11 Fighter Group which played a 1 big part in the air defence of Britain. ARMY COMMANDER NEW YORK. Auk. 28 , The Associated Press says General : Fichelberger, commander of the Eighth < Army, which will be among the first ' forces to occupy Japan, has had close contact with the Japanese for 25 years, first in Siberia, with the American Expeditionary. Forces from 1918 to 1920, later in China and the Philippines, and in this war at Buna and in the Philippines; He is an exacting commander, Tvith a genial personality. WAR CRIMINALS NEW YORK, Ang. 27 ( The Associated Press correspondent < on Okinawa says General Mac Arthur is ] expected to demand that designated j Japanese war criminals be handed to •< the Allies. r