SKIP-BOMBING
SURPRISE FOR THE ENEMY
YOKOHAMA, September 8
The low-level skip-bombing attack which wiped out a Japanese convoy in the Bismarck Sea battle in 1943 was the greatest surprise the Japanese received, said Rear-Admiral Toshitane Takata, former deputy chief of staff of the combined fleet, in an interview with the "New York Times" correspondent. When told that the Allied official estimate of the Japanese losses was 22 ships sunk, Takata said he thought that every ship in the convoy of more than 30 had gone to the bottom. The low-level attack by land planes skip-bombing puzzled the Japanese, who thought that torpedoes were used. The Japanese often speculated on the possibility of a "leak" before Midway which enabled the Americans to get ready for the battle.
Rear-Admiral Takata was unaware of the report that the Japanese code had been deciphered before Midway. He said that air power had forced Japan's surrender.
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Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 61, 10 September 1945, Page 5
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151SKIP-BOMBING Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 61, 10 September 1945, Page 5
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