JAP. SHIPPING LOSSES

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 July 1945, Page 5

JAP. SHIPPING LOSSES

AERIAL ATTACKS EFFECTIVE WARSHIPS NEAR COAST NAVAL BASE BOMBARDED

WASHINGTON, July 19. “Navy Privateers yesterday sank seven small coastal cargo ships near the western tip of Honshu, and damaged a small coastal freighter and a submarine chaser in the Bungo Channel,” says to-day’s communique from Admiral Nimitz’s headquarters. “The Privateers also set on lire a radar station on the east coast ol' Kyushu. Liberators destroyed two medium cargo ships and a small coastal cargo ship south ot Honshu. “Marine aircraft attacked Tokuno Island in the Amamis, and shot down two torpedo bombers in the sea near the Riukius. They destroyed another plane near Tokuno Island, bringing to 500 the total number of enemy aircraft destroyed by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing since April 7, when it began operations in the Okinawa area.” Superfortresses have now attacked a total of 46 cities on the Japanese mainland. Their latest raids were made largely with incendiaries, backed with big quantities of high explosives. According to the lokio radio, the British and American carrier task force is still off the coast of Honshu. Attacks were made to-day on the Tokio area. A correspondent on board one of the British warships said that to-day the Allied force approached closer than ever before to the Japanese coast. At a point 5.J miles south of Tokio, they bombarded the naval base of Yokosuka, at the entrance to Tokio Bay. With cover afforded by a storm, the Allied vessels approached within three or lour miles of the shore. Tokio radio admitted to-day that a force of 100 Mustang fighters had attacked targets in central Japan as a sequel to the raids by Superfortresses. The Mustangs had been engaged in strafing attacks. MACARTHUR’S BOMBERS. WASHINGTON. July 19. “Bombers of the 7th Air Force penetrated thick cloud cover and dropped more than 200 tons of bombs on Kiangwan aerodrome. near Shanghai.” says a communique issued to-day at General MacArthui s Headquarters. “Escorting fighters started fires at Tinghai aerodrome and attacked shipping near laishan Island. , , , , “Night air patrols destroyed, oi damaged 27 cargo craft'on the Asiatic coast "and sank a freighter-transport off Hainan Island. - They set lire to enemy storage facilities and damaged motor transport near Canton and the Indo-China coast. “Medium units bombed Ituba island, in the South China Sea. Other aircraft started fires on Limboeng aerodrome in the Celebes, and wrecked 15 coastal craft along the southern coast and in the Lesser Sundas. “R.A.A.F. and Dutch medium bombers and fighters, attacking isolated enemy garrisons, destroyed several barges in north-western New Guinea. R.N.Z.A.F. and Marine units caused fires in an area on Kawieng and at Rabaul, and bombed points oi resistance in support of the ground operations.

BALIKPAPAN BASE. Australian engineers have begun the long-range job of transforming Balikpapan into a formidable base. 11 is expected that its normal lile, including the operation of a narrowgauge railway, roads, telephones, water supply and electricity, will be resumed within two months. The engineers have already landed 10,000 tons of stores and equipment. Their task involves work comparable with that required to move a mediumsized city of Borneo. The engineers are able to make an early start with the construction of the base as a result of the rapid completion, without serious casualties, of the biggest job of mine clearing yet encountered in the Pacific. When the Australians entered Sambodja at noon on Wednesday they found only two Japanese, who were quickly dispatched. Other Australians are fighting along, the inland highway towards Samarinda, a second major oil centre 36 miles to the north. They have smashed an enemy attempt to infiltrate their lines, and cut the Japanese to ribbons. Dutch troops repulsed a Japanese counter-attack south of Soengawain. North of Balikpapan, the Australians across the bay have knocked out a Japanese platoon, and have occupied the village of Sapari, Five miles west of Cape Penadjam. The general condition of the oil wells of Sambodja is unknown, but reports of fires indicate that the Japanese set the fields on fire, as did the Dutch in 1942 when the Japanese overran Borneo. JAPANESE NAVY. (Rec. 11.20 a.m.7 NEW YORK, July 20. Tokio radio quotes Admiral Takahashi, former naval commander-in-chief, as saying the Japanese Navy remains unshaken, and will soon go into action. The day of victory is rapidly approaching. Japan’s air arm is being withheld until the right moment arrives, then together with the stirface force, will unleash that one last blow. DURATION ESTIMATES. NEW~YORK, July 19. With the statement, that United States Army and Navy, leaders are planning for the war against Japan to continue until at least the - end of 1946, peace rumours that some significant development in the Pacific was imminent have subsided. The Associated Press correspondent in Washington says: “The blunt truth is that 1946 has been set as the goal. Our military leaders are assuming the Japanese will fight to the bitter end. They are also planning to clean up the campaign in China, though what happens there will depend on Russia. If Russia comes in —a development which the Chiefs of Staff now in Berlin could plan—the western Allies may have little fighting to do on the Asiatic mainland. Should the enemy wish to cease fighting at any time, the terms are still unconditional surrender, as explained by President Truman to mean the end of Japanese militarism, but not the destruction of Japan.” The Chinese Ambassador to Washington (Mr. Wei Tao-ming), at a Press conference, declared that too much attention was being paid to Japanese peace feelers. He said: “I think we should concentrate on defeating Japan, rather than on figuring out a way for the Japanese to surrender.” / Asked whether he meant the solution of the Japanese war was military rather than diplomatic, the Ambassador said: “Yes. Why should we try to make surrender easier for Japan?” SUICIDE PLANES ~CHICAGO. July 19. Commodore Kiefer,. captain of the aircraft-carrier Ticonderoga, stated at a Press conference that Japanese suicide planes obtained fivefold more

hits against warships, compared with other bombers, because the warships could be manoeuvred away from ordinary bombs, but not from steered bombs. He fidded that old, obsolete crates were often used to carry the baka. “If our offensive had been six months later, the task would have been tenfold harder, because the Japanese began building suicide baka bombs at the time the offensive began. Just as they perfected the baka, we shot down most of the planes capable of carryingjt” JAPANESE' STATEMENTS

NEW YORK, July 19. The Vice-Minister of the Navy, Taweo Tada, in a speech broadcast by the Tokio radio, said it was regrettable that some Japanese had become discouraged by the real facts of this fierce war, and become idle, resentful and resigned to the attitude of aimless, destructive self-interest, abandonment, and neglect of duties. The newspaper “Mamichi said. Allied attacks against Japan are only a feeble attempt to entice the An Force, which is biding the time lot action, in accordance with the Hign Command’s elastic tactics in pieparation for the decisive struggle. According to the Domei Agency, 1,500,000 school children are bem* mobilised to reclaim 25,000 acres ot land to increase food production. WITH THE CHINESE (Rec. 10 a -Q^ UNGKINGi j u iy 20. The Japanese moved 100,000 troops from Hunan to Shantung llast month in anticipation of Amen can landings, said the Chinese Aim} spokesman, Major-General Kuo. Others were transferred to the coast from North China. The Japanese had a million troops concentrated inNoitn China and at nerve, centres, where n is expected they will put up suicide The Associated Press correspondent at Chungking says Washington dispatches Fndicated* imminent invasion was improbable, as the First Aimy re-deployed from Europe is not ex peeled to arrive betorß Decembei. The High Command an noimceu that Chinese troops from are neanng Young Kong, and rnmiy hold the 50 miles ot coastline lor invasion. The Chinese captured the important road. junction at Laipo. bn miles east of Liushqw, and also W anghsien, a controlling point in Japanese .waterways south ot Lake Tungting. AIRMEN'S GREAT EFFORT. “RUGBY, July 20. Flying through heavy monsoon storms over mountain peaks, sea and jungles, a R.A.F. Dakota crew raced one night this month with «n iron lung to Rangoon in an aU-mP' to save the life ol a soldier stricken with infantile paralysis. The emei<encv call was received at Comma. The'soldier was lying m Rangoon hospital and had to be P laced ,n .. 1 lung within a matter ol hours, il lw were to live. It was then 10 o clock. Urgent calls were made throughout Bengal’ A lung was found and at midnight it was delivered to the airfield "at Comilla. Meanwhile, the crew of an R.A.F. Dakota of u)t Battle Supply Squadron were bnel.ee and flew to Comilla. Within 35 minute's of touching down the crew were airborne again, this time with the iron lung. At the airfield in Rangoon 700 miles from Comilla, a flarepath was flashing and radio, beacons kept in operation tnroughout the night. The ambulance stood by to carrv the lung to the hospital 12 miles away. The weather was extremely bad, but at 5.30 a.m.—-a0 minutes 'before it was expected, the Dakota touched down. The Dakota crew that morning flew back to then base and the British soldier was in the iron lung. Their gallani enorts were in vain, as the soldier died Him evening. “PACIFIC POST." SYDNEY. July 20. For the first time in history the Royal Navy has its own daily news-paper-written, edited, printed and published by officers and men in the Naw. The first issue ol the newspaper, “Pacific Post,” was published in Svdney this morning. The paper, a four-page tabloid, is for distribution only among naval personnel in operational and base areas. It will have a cable service covering world events, and, in addition, British local news and sporting items will be featured. The readers of “Pacific Post” arc thousands of miles from the presses, and aircraft will fly each edition to forward bases and ships of all types. The newspaper was published at the request of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Pacific Fleet (Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser) and is issued free to men of the Fleet. LEVANT COMMUNICATIONS. LONDON. July 20. “I hope all foreign troops not required for the prosecution of the war against Japan will be withdrawn from the Levant by late Summer,” said the Syrian Prime Minister, M. Khoury, who recently returned from San Francisco, in an interview with Reuter’s Damascus correspondent. He added that this would set the seal on the independence of Syro-Lebanon. Both countries were at war with Japan and would allow their territories to be used as lines of communication. They would in this way be helping the war against Japan on a full partnership basis. Mr. Khoury, discussing the final settlement with the French, said that Syria was determined to be just and fair, and even liberal, in the compensation for buildings and installations damaged and loss of life in the recent troubles.