GREAT BOMB LOAD

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 279, 22 August 1944, Page 5

GREAT BOMB LOAD

Target Well Plastered (Received August 31, 9j50 p.m.) NEW YORK, August 21. The Super-Fortresses struck at Yawata with the heaviest bomb load ever hurled against a single target in the Sino-Burma-India war theatre, reports the United Press at the secret 829 base m western China. The strong formation in daylight rained many tons of high explosives against the industrial centre producing 21 per cent, of Japan’s steel. Flames from the attack were still blazing through workshops when the second formation unloaded another avalanche of destruction against Yawata. For the first time on a SuperFortresses’ mission, the Japanese sent up swarms of fighters against the raiders. The Japanese also threw up a flak barrage, which the returning.crews described as the heaviest seen in this theatre. The daylight attack was carried out. in .perfect conditions with excellent, visibility. As many as 15 Japanese aircraft of varied types were thrown against single formations of Super-Fortresses. Forced Out of Range.

■The enemy attempted to bore in from all directions, but the Super-Fortresses heavy armament and high speed forced most of the attackers to stay out ot range. The first bombers over the target found the Japanese planes unable in the short period of warning to reach the attack altitude. , _ _ While the main force smashed Yawata, other Super-Fortresses blasted Laoyao, terminal port for the Lunghai railway and one of the most important Japanese shipping centres. The raiders also hit Kaifeng, junction of the Peiping-Hankow railway, near the bend where the Chinese diverted the Yellow River in 1938 to halt the Japanese advance. The Twentieth Air Force communique says the initial attack was the first daylight operation against the Japanese homeland since the Tokio raid led by General Doolittle on April IS, 1042. In the second Sunday assault, a smaller force bombed at night. The bombing results of the first attack were reported good. Relatively strong fighter opposition was encountered and the flak was moderate to intense and accurate. Four bombers were lost through enemy action. Twelve enemy fighters are claimed destroyed’, 12 probably destroyed and 10 damaged. Operational details ot the night mission are not available.