JAP. SHIPPING LOSSES

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 July 1945, Page 5

JAP. SHIPPING LOSSES

BATTLESHIP DAMAGED ANOTHER CONVOY ATTACKED ALLIED AIRCRAFT ACTIVE

WASHINGTON, July 22. The 32,720-ton Japanese battleship Nagato, said to be one of the last four capital ships, remaining in the Japanese navy, was badly damaged during last week’s great Allied naval and s air assault on the Tokio area. The Nagato was first commissioned in 1920, but was reconstructed about nine years ago. . A communique from Admiral Nimitz’s headquarters, giving details of last week’s attacks, says:— “Extensive damage was inflicted on enemy combatant vessels, merchant shipping, airfields, transport, aild other military installations by the British and American carrier aircraft which struck at targets near Tokio on Wednesday afternoon. The attacking aircraft bombed, rocketed, and strafed installations in an area extending from the Yokosuka naval yard to Mito Kiryu, on the northern edge of the Kanto Plain. They encountered no enemy or air-borne opposition. Flak was very heavy over the Yokosuka naval yard, but diminished as the pilots bombed the gun positions. “Detailed reports show the lollowin “Sunk; tS a destroyer, cable-layer, three small cargo ships, and seven

motor torpedo-boats. “Damaged: The battleship Nagato (the superstructure of which was heavily damaged), an anti-aircraft converted destroyer, an old destroyer, lour luggers, and two small craft. “Six locomotives, four hangars, an ammunition dump, an oil tank, and a power plant transformer were also destroyed. Thirty aircraft were destroyed on the ground and 42 damaged. “Our losses were 12 aircraft. “Preliminary reconnaissance reports show that the bombardment of industrial establishments in Hitachi by American battleships, cruisers, Etna destroyers, and by units of the British Pacific Fleet last Tuesday evening damaged a copper ■ refinery and inflicted severe damage on a Hitachi engineering works, and a Hitachi arms factory. “Light forces of the United States 3rd Fleet, operating five miles west of Nokima Cape to-day, encountered a four-ship convoy. We sank a medium cargo ship, a small cargo ship, and damaged an escort vessel. Other light units attacked the town of Omura, on Chichi Jima, with gunfire. -Search aircraft destroyed a small coastal cargo ship and six small craft, and left two small cargo ships burning. Privateers yesterday sank a small coastal cargo ship off the east coast ot Tsuchima Island and damaged a large cargo ship.” The Guam correspondent of the Associated Press says: “Admiral Nimitz s communique partly answers the mys terv of the whereabouts of the United States Fleet since the Tokio strike. Light units smashed a fourship convoy on duty only five miles from the very mouth of Tokio’s outer b a y, while a similar task squadron shelled Omura, 550 miles south of flokio. The fact that the fleet was able to separate into small units for various missions in the heart of the enemy s seas is itself significant of the lack of opposition. The whereabouts of the British and American heavy units is still wrapped in a security black-out. The Nagato is 26 years old, but has been FURTHER GREAT ATTACK. GUAM, July 23. Admiral Nimitz announced that carrier planes in great strength attacked military targets in the vicinity of Kure, Western Honshu, at dawn on July 24 (-Japanese time). Attacks ait continuing. Light fleet units attacked the south-east coast of Paramushiro. japaneseFcomment NEW"yORK, July 23. The Domei News Agency declared: “Japanese are reasonable people, uio are amenable to fair arguments, bin they are also firm people who cannot be intimidated.” . • .„„ The “New York Times says. Despite an official Japanese admission that recent intensification of an ana naval assaults produced some signs of unrest among the J . a Panese people, the Domei Agency insisted The Am erican tactics are serving to whip un the fighting fervour of the Jap anese people to an immeasuiably higher pitch than , e Y er bv The Japanese cannot be defeated oy any such tactics as the Americans may conceive upon premises ot then own psychology.” POTSDAM EXPECTATIONS. (Rec. 9.50 a.mJ w YORK> July ‘ 23 . The Domei Agency says the Japanese must be prepared that the B » Three after the meeting will issue a communique with .Provisions considerably unfavourable to Japan. The newspaper “Sangyo Keiza the Foreign Office must carry out a fiesh vigorous policy especially vis a vis with the Soviet Union. Domei also quoted without comment Mr. Stalin s order of the day on the Red Navy. PROGRESS IN BORNEO. WASHINGTON, July 22. “Elements of the 7th Australian Division in a shore-to-shore operation, have landed at Tempadoeng, up ' the headwaters of the bay from Balikpapan, and have patrolled overland south-eastward to Berangoe without reported contact says a communique from General MacAi thur’s Headquarters. The new landing is the fourth major amphibious operation that the Australians have carried out in Borneo. Tempadoeng is 14 miles north of Balikpapan. Dealing with air and naval operations, General MacArthur’s, communique says: “Royal Australian AnForce and 13th Air Force planes, in extensive strikes, destroyed or damaged enemy supply installations motor transport, coastal craft and numerous buildings in northern Borneo, and they supported the Bahkpapan ground operations. A patrol bomber' sank an enemy freighter and a barge and strafed aerodrome installations near Kuching “Bomber and fighter elements and light surface units, continuing the neutralisation of enemy facilities m the East Indies, struck at airfields and transports in the Celebes, sank two barges, bombed coastal defences in the Halmaheras, and strafed the waterfront in the Lesser Sundas. “Night patrols bombed enemy installations and enemy harbour and coastal, craft off the China coast. Daylight patrols attacked railway installations, rolling stock, and highway bridges in the Indo-China area. They caused large fires among shipyard facilities, containing five enemy freighters, at Trengganu. Malaya. Enemy installations on Ituaba Island, South China Sea, were hit for the fourth successive day.” MACARTHUR’S REPORT (Recd. 1.25 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 23. In the Balikpapan area, the Australians over-ran enemy positions in the vicinity of Mount Batochampar, and patrolled three miles on an in-

lland road, reports General MacArthur’s communique. ' 1 R.A.A.F. fighters attacked the Sandakan area of Northern Borneo, destroying or damaging military installations "and motor transport and setting fire to storage facilities. R.A.A.f'. bombers and fighters in widespread sweeps cratered Tanamon airfield in the Celebes, strafed and set on fire watercraft and fuel supplies in the Moluccas, sank two barges and set on fire installations in the Lesser Sundas. Medium bombers struck enemv occupied villages in the Wewak sector. Marine and R.N.Z.A.F. units attacked isolated enemy groups in the Bismarcks and Solomons. Air Patrols destroyed eight cargo ships off the south-west coast of For® mosa and ranged over the China Sea., They sank two enemy freighters and damaged another in the Gulf of Siam and sank a schooner, harassed harbour craft and bombed rail installations in Indo-China. CHINESECAPTURES. (Rec. 11.45 a.m.) CHUNGKING, July 23. Chinese forces pressing toward Kweilin recaptured Paishou, 25 miles westward of an important highway junction and Chaihsu, a railway town. Other columns exerting pres-, surt from the south-west, reached a point eight miles from Kweilin. Another Chinese force is approaching Yangse airfield, which, if recaptured, will be the seventh lost American air base reverting to Chinese-American control. RAID ON SHANGHAI. RUGBY, July 23. More than 100 Allied bombers and fighters attacked Shanghai to-day, says a Chungking message. The raid lasted 90 minutes and was directed against airfields and installations along the‘river. SUNDERLANDS SQUADRON RUGBY, July 23. In nine days, R.A.F. Sunderlands of the Indian Ocean Air Force, operating from mobile forward bases, destroyed six Japanese ships and attacked and damaged a further 5 on the Tcnasserim coast and east coast of Siam. Schooners, coasters, oil barges and numerous smaller craft were among the victims. Forced from the open seas by submarines and surface vessels of the East Indies Command, Japanese ships now hug the coastline of Kara Isthmus as they take oil and other supplies from the Dutch East Indies and Singapore to their forces in Southern Burma and Indo-China. Wing Commander Powell, Commanding Officer of the Sunderland Squadrons, said: “Many members of my squadron were at Singapore at the beginning of the war. We were one of the first to leave, and now we hope to be among the first to go back. We feel we are operating in home waters again.” JAPS IN BURMA. _ RUGBY, July 22. “Japanese guards are posted to prevent their own troops surrendering to our patrols in the Pegu Yoma hills, according to a Japanese captain who gave himself up to Burmese villagers,” writes a "correspondent in Burma. “This precaution became necessary as the plight of 6000 Japanese troops marooned in the flooded foothills had affected their morale. The Japanese officer' carried a ‘safe conduct pass apparently dropped by R.A.F. planes. The Japanese captain said he did not think there were many attempts to desert as, for the most part, the men were badly led and clothed, were apathetic, and preferred the evil they knew to the one they did not. For two years’ he had not received a letter from Japan. He believed no letters were allowed to leave Japan because of strict censorship regulations. Marooned and in desperate plight, the remnants of what was once a strong Japanese army are reduced to raiding villages for food.” A correspondent states it is estimated that between 8000 and 9000 Japanese are trapped in this area and that about 5000 are taking part in the attempt to fight their way out through the flooded paddy fields. The breakout front stretches for 70 miles along the road between the Pegu hills and the Sittang River. Some enemy groups are believed to have infiltrated through the British lines and may have crossed, or attempted to cross, the flooded Sittang. MASSACRE OF JAPANESE. ' “RUGBY, July 23. Anticipation that the escape of the Japanese to Siam from Pegu Yomas would provide the greatest single massacre of this theatre of tne war has been justified, writes a Rangoon correspondent. The latest count of dead Japanese since the attempted breakthrough began 36 hours ago shows 1843, with 93 taken prisoners. The killed are casualties by our small arms fire and do not include those killed from the air or by artillery fire. The fighting which continues east and west of the Man-dalay-Rangoon road is target practice for our troops. There is evidence that the enemy, who had hoped to break through in a matter of hours, are tiring. A fair number of Japanese are reported to have crossed the Rangoon-Mandalay road south of Toungoo. Villages inland on either side of the road are a constant target for the R.A.F. Japanese are seen running in and out of villages. Bombing and strafing are going on. East of the corridor our forces are trapping parties of Japanese as they sneak towards the Sittang River. SOUTH-WESTERN AREA. WASHINGTON, July 22. General MacArthur’s communique dealing with Allied operations in New Guinea and the Solomons says: “Netherlands Air Force units bombed enemy-occupied villages in i north-western New Guinea. Australian bombers supported the ground forces in the Wewak and Sepik River areas. “Medium fighter-bombers of the United States Marine Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force attacked Rabaul and Kawieng. A ship of the Royal Australian Navy bombarded enemy positions in northern Bougainville and Buka.” NEW GUINEA ESCAPEES. (Rec. 12.15 p.m.) MELBOURNE, July 24. Soldiers undergoing sentences of detention in at Lae, New Guinea, made two escapes recently. The men in the second breakout stoned a party of soldiers attempting to induce them to return to the barracks. The escapes are revealed by the Army Public Relations, which said the situation is completely under control. The barracks had to be enlarged to hold the servicemen under sentence and the escapes occurred before the barracks were enlarged. The 1 guards were equipped with rifles but no ammunition. The men banded together and \valked out virtually unop-

posed, breaking into the quartermaster’s store and stealing revolvers and ammunition, most of which has been recovered. PHILIPPINES CASUALTIES. 1 WASHINGTON, July 22. General MacArthur’s report states an additional 3629 enemy dead have been counted and 403 captured in our mopping up operations in the Philippines during the past week. Our casualties in the same period were 12 killed, two missing, and 48 wounded. OKINAWA AS BASE. GUAM, July 23. Satisfaction with Okinawa as an air base for attacks against Japan, and also, if necessary,' targets in China and Manchuria, and even Mongolia, was expressed by Lieuten-ant-General J. H. Doolittle, when he inspected the site of his new headquarters. About half of the United States Bth Air Force has been deployed. Some personnel have remained in Europe and others are in the United States for training. The attainment of the Bth Air Force’s maximum strength is contingent upon the acquisition of an airfield establishment and logistical support for communications. Lieutenant-General Doolittle said the Bth Air Force’s Superfortresses would attack Japan next month. FORCES FROM EUROPE. LONDON, July 22. The redeployment of the vast air and land forces in Europe to the Pacific theatre is now well under way, and the first batch of American troops has arrived in Manila. They are 5000 men, mostly engineers, who sailed from Marseilles. These are but the first and it is reported that there are tens of thousands on embarkation leave in the United States awaiting shipment. The great European air armadas will soon be playing their part in the final softening up of Japan. Five thousand United States aeroplanes drawn from the last big United States Air Forces in Europe, the 9th, 12th, and 15th, are being redeployed. British Lancasters and improved versions of them will also play a part in the air offensive against Japan. In addition to the bombers that are being transferred, 600 troop carriers of the 9th Carrying Command are also being switched to the Pacific. Aeroplanes from Melbourne are flying daily to Okinawa, the advance base for operations against Japan. The trip, which is about 5000 miles, takes about 48 hours. WASHINGTON, July 23. The 15th Air Force, which fought Germans from Africa to the Reich, is ending its official existence, but is redeploying men and materials to the Pacific. ALLIES’ SECRET WEAPON. (Rec. Noon). HAMILTON (Ontario), July 23. _ Rear-Admiral Greathead, who is visiting Hamilton on a technical mission for the British Admiralty, viewed a secret weapon the “Disintegrator” designed to counteract the Japanese silicide planes. BRITAIN’S CONTRIBUTION NEW Y- Till, Jcuy 22. Lord Beaverbrook, in a letter to the Detroit “Free Press,” said Great Britain’s full resources would be employed against Japan. He was replying" -to an open letter by the publisher, John S. Knight, who said an antiBritish feeling was rising in the United States because Britain’s forces in the European war were smaller than America’s and Britain was not making an all-out effort against Japan. Lord Beaverbrook declared that the British war effort must be measured against the population of the United Kingdom, which was less than onethird of that of the United States. Nevertheless, to May 9, the Empire casualties were 1,427,000, of which Britain’s were 944,000, as against America’s 986,000. Acknowledging that Britain had fought the Far Eastern war with marginal military resources until Germany was defeated, Lord Beaverbrook declared it was in accordance with the agreed Allied over-all strategy. He added that every warship and bomber, as it could be deployed, would be on the job. CANADIAN WITHDRAWAL -VANCOUVER, July 23. Major-General Pearkes, former Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Pacific Command, revealed that the cruiser Uganda was returning from the Pacific, because 500 of the crew i esented the request to volunteer for Pacific service, although originally they had volunteered for service anywhere.