GREAT AMERICAN AIR VICTORIES

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 20, 18 October 1944, Page 7

GREAT AMERICAN AIR VICTORIES

XA.JLJLW ▼ JU JU (Bi’ Telegraph. — Tress Assu,—Copyright.» (Received October 17, 11.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, Oct. 17. Admiral Nimitz has announced that Japanese warships approached an American task force off Formosa, but turned tail when they saw the strength of the American force. This is the first statement that has been made by the Allies about the “naval battle” that the Japanese have been claiming to have taken place. Admiral Nimitz said that no American ship was lost. He added that in the attacks on Formosa, the Americans had destroyed on an average 10 ships and 100 planes every day.. American air losses were light. General MacArthur’s aircraft have also been busy hammering Japanese airfields in the southern Philippines to hamper the movement of enemy air strength to the scene of the battle between Formosa and the Philippines. “More than 100 Japanese planes were shot down today in the greatest air battle since the Philippines sea engagement, ’ says the American United Press correspondent aboard a United States carrier off Formosa. On Saturday for nearly 10 hours a giant task force beat off wave after wave of attacking torpedo planes, bombers and fighters as it retired after three days of attacks on Formosa. , . • i u The Japanese attack was apparently a pincer aerial assault from land bases fri Formosa and the northern Philippines.

There is an almost complete lack of enemy air opposition in the raids on Formosa, said General Arnold, United States Army Air Chief. Reconnaissance photographs showed all the air strips in the target area to be inoperable, due to bomb damage. At least 50 aircraft were destroyed or damaged on the ground. General Arnold added that since the Super Fortresses’ targets are distant from the airfields, it is presumed that most of this damage was infiicted earlier by the carrier attacks, and the same naval operations are responsible for the lack of enemy-opposition to the Super-Fortresses, giving them, freedom to accomplish missions not otherwise possible. ■ The American forces have destroyed io Japanese ships and 670 aircraft since October 9, said Admiral Nimitz in a broadcast. Results would be much greater except' for the scarcity of profitable targets. Enemy air opposition was compartively light in the early stages of the assault, but grew more intense over the Formosa and Manila areas. Admiral Nimitz said that in recent days Americans' had heard good news about fleet strikes close to the heart of Japan, but it would be a grievous error to think that such successes gave rise to the hope of an early cud of the war against Japan. An earlier report, from Pearl Harbour • says that the carrier-borne aircraft assaulting the Philippines destroyed nearly 100 Japanese planes during the weekend in attacks near Manila. Japanese aircraft attacked one group, but caused only superfiicial damage to American warships. Japanese Claims. Claiming that a- Japanese naval victory had set back the impending invasion of the Philippines by at 'least two months, Tokio radio stated today that Japanese planes intercepted and attacked American carrier forces “sent to Manila in a diversionary attempt to rescue the enemy task force now fleeing from Formosa.” Meanwhile, added the radio, the Japanese people were wildly celebrating ' the sea victory off Formosa, which bad made Hawaii and Malaya appear as sideshows and which were comparable with the defeat of the Russian fleet in 1905. General Koiso, Prime Minister, has sent a message to the nation: “The.enemy offensive against the • Philippines has been dealt a sledge-hammer blow. The long-awaited opportunity for Japan’s Pacific battle has arrived. Our army torpedo-planes and uavy air force have shown their mettle in the present action.” The Associated Press says that, the claims of victory in various jubilant , Japanese broadcasts gave figures varying from 40 to 52 American warships as having been sunk or damaged. Tokio radio quoted Admiral Nomura, former Ambassador to the United States, as claiming a Japanese naval victory which would prove the turning point. He added that the present victory was insufficient to throw American strategy out of gear. General Koiso, broadcasting to the nation, said: “Draw the chin-straps of your helmets tighter. We have dealt the first hard blow to the enemy, which gives us hope for the battles ahead.” He warned the Japanese not to break out in victory cheers prematurely, but to speed up war production.