ASSAULT ON TOKYO AREA

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24501, 26 February 1945, Page 5

ASSAULT ON TOKYO AREA

Carrier Planes And Superfortresses

MILITARY AND NAVAL

TARGETS

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

(Rec. 10.50 p.m.) WASHINGTON, February 24. United States Superfortresses and carrier-based aircraft have made another great attack on the Tokyo area. In a special communique from his advanced headquarters on Guanv Admiral Chester W. Nimitz announced that Vice-AdmiraLMarc Mitscher’s carrier task force was attacking military, naval, anaair installations in and around Tokyo. His announcement ipk lowed the report that more than 200 Superfortresses'haa bombed industrial targets in the Tokyo area. • ?

Earlier the Tokyo radio said that American carriernerbplanes began raiding the Tokyo and Yokohama areas at to-day, and were now carrying out an echelon attack. The Japanese claimed that their air forces were mterceptm® enemy aeroplanes and every moment were offering counter-attacks.

The Guam correspondent of the Associated Press says that Admiral Nimitz has not specified the size of the present attack against Tokyo, but the enemy radio suggested that it was in the same strength as the raids on February 16 arid 17, whenapproximately 1500 Hellcats, Hellclivers, and Avengers struck at the Tokyo area. The new attack is probably designed to keep the Japanese air fleet pinned down on the home island so it cannot be sent to Iwo Jima.