SHURI FORTRESS STORMED

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24581, 1 June 1945, Page 5

SHURI FORTRESS STORMED

Okinawa Battle Nears Climax “ENEMY DEFENCES SMASHED” (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, May 30; Shari, the former Japanese head* Sera on Okinawa Island, in the ns, has been stormed by United States troops, and the battle for the island is reported to be reaching; a climax. The United States Flag was raised over ancient Shuri Castle on Wednesday. The main Japanese defences on Okinawa have been smashed after 60 biasing; days of battle, said an American corps commander to-day. ■ Admiral Nimitz’s communique says: “Adverse'weather prevailing at Oki•nawa reduced enemy aircraft activity on "Tuesday to several isolated raids against our ships, of which two light units were damaged. Bight enemy planes were shot down. Escort carrier aircraft attacked targets in the Saki Shimas and fast carrier aircraft attacked Amamis on Tuesday. “Troops of the 10th Array continued the attack to encircle apd reduce Shuri to-day in spite of the adverse weather and ground conditions. Sixth Marine Division infantrymen advanced southward ' toward the Kokuba river, and strong marine patrols moved into Shuri from the west. The 7th Infantry Division is meeting stiff resistance in its zone of action to the north-east. Infantry on the left flank advanced westward and captured high ground in the vicinity of Yonawa. “Search aircraft damaged two small cargo ships around Korea on Tuesday and destroyed a small cargo sjilp today. They shot down a twin-engined enemy transport plane south of Honshu. Other aircraft attacked Truk, Marcus, the Bonips, and the Marshalls.” The Prime Minister of Japan (Admiral Suzuki) told the Cabinet that the fate of Japan 'depended on the outcome of the Okinawa battle, which, he admitted, was rapidly reaching ,a climax. Japan’s hope apd determination to win the war were anchored solely on Okinawa. Tokyo had suffered gravely at the hands- of the enemy, while Yokohama had been chosen for the next area of indiscriminate incendiary attacks. BOMBER RAIDS ON JAPAN “ONLY SEVEN PULSE TARGETS” COMPARISON MADE WITH GERMANY ✓ LONDON, May 30. “There are only seven real ‘pulse targets’ in Japan, and if all goes well they will be ticked off singly in the next few months,” ssys Colin Bednall, assistant-editor of the “Daily Mail,” in an assessment of the possibilities of destroying the Japanese war potential by bombing. • Bednall, who, as an air correspondent, made several operational bomber flights over Germany, is now in the Pacific theatre. Bednall says that whereas the bombing of Germany took years to develop, it is intended to destroy the) Japanese war potential within months. He adds: “Certain factors make this possible, but so far the Japanese have been' offering a fierce, well-organised resistance. Twice' the number of heavy anti-air-craft guns, many of which are believed to be 88mm. guns made from German designs, defend Tokyo, compared with Berlin. There are perhaps 200 searchlights. and a fanatical, if depleted fighter force, phosphorous air rapes and rockets, and several mystery weapons, including the so-called balls .of fire, which apparently are flying bombs redesigned to carry suicide pilots. “The Superfortresses, in the great bomb to a finish phase, have abandoned the icy altitudes for which they were designed and are bombing Tokyo from 6000 feet. Heavy bombers would not dare to stay so low over Berlin, but it is possible over Tokyo because Japanese radar and other devices are years behind those of the Germans. The Japanese gunners rarely hit what they cannot see, and the low cloud gives almost immunity from flak. It is also so tempestuous over Japan that when the Superfortresses flew over at high altitudes they iriet with terrific winds. “Now that the Superfortresses are achieving the accuracy that Air Chief Marshal Harris demanded o- the Royal Air Force in Europe, deliveries of Superfortresses' have reached 200 a month, which means an overwhelming force when Japanese fighter production has been reduced by three-quar-ters in three months and the ground defences have to be faced for only about 30 or 40 minutes in each attack, compared with 10 or 11 hours over the defended territory of Europe.” “The Yokohama raid raised the weight of bombs dropped on Japan in the last 18 days to 20,800 tons,” says the correspondent of the United Press on Guam. “The intensity, is comparable with that against Germany during the pre-invasion air campaign. , “Japan’s ‘Sacred ,Wind is seen by the Superfortress crews as one of the most important factors in the successes of the incendiary raids. The wind, which wrecked Kublai Khan’s invasion fleet, became the basis of Japan s legend of invincibility, but now it fans {he flames of the fire bombs and convinces the Japanese that their god has forsaken them.” , Viscount Kikujiro Ishu, the dean of Japan’s diplomatic service, was killed in the Superfortress raid on Tokyo last Friday. Another vicjim- was Yorozu Oda, an authority on international law. Viscount Ishii presided over the Council and Assembly of the League of Nations in 1923 and 1926. Oda was once a judge of The Hague International Court of Arbitration. The Tokyo radio has claimed that flak shot down a 832 over southern Honshu on Monday. The United Press says this is ,the first report of a new Super Liberator being over Japan. “PRAVDA” ATTACKS SWEDEN HOSTILITY TO SOVIET ALLEGED LONDON, May 30. Attacking Sweden, a commentator in the Moscow newspaper “Pravda” says: “Sweden is hostile to Russia. Her newspapers are pro-Fascist and her Fascist leaders are trying to drive a wedge between the Russian and Swedish peoples. “Sweden systematically broke her neutrality for the benefit of Germany, but her reactionaries miscalculated by staking their cards on a Hitlerite victory. German Fascism has directed Sweden too long. It is time she realised that the Red Army has decisively defeated Germany and that the Allied and Russian victories have again created peace in Europe. “Sweden, by the ambiguity of her policy during the war, has temporarily excluded herself from the circle of freedom-loving nations. There is no doubt that the Swedish people wish to live on friendly relations with the Russians, but the Fascists are trying to prevent accord.” Belgian Woman Executed. —The first woman to be executed in Belgium in this war oh a treai son charge was shot in Bruges i to-day. She was a Flemish peasant . woman who was found guilty of de- ! nouncing patriots to the Germans. Three of those she denounced were shot at sight and four executed later. I—Brussels, May 30.