SUPERFORTS DROP 400 TONS OF BOMBS ON WAR PLANT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23321, 2 August 1950, Page 7

SUPERFORTS DROP 400 TONS OF BOMBS ON WAR PLANT

(11 a.m.) TOKYO, Aug. 2. General MacArthur’s headquarters announced that 50 Superfortresses dropped 400 tons of high explosive bombs yesterday on a large chemical works in North Korea.

Smoke shot 15,000 ft. into the air after a constant series of flaming explosions at three targets.

The works are only two miles from the giant munitions factory at Konan which were very heavily damaged in the Superfortress raid on Sunday.

Attacking in perfect weather, the first squadrons dropped their bombs visually. The dense grey smoke and flames which covered the area forced the later bombers to use radar.

The explosions rocked the Superfortresses 15,000 ft. overhead. The commander of one of the Superfortress groups said: “The mission was more successful than our Sunday attack if such a thing were possible. It was an example of perfect bombing. The works attacked today manufactured nitric acid for use in explosives and nitro-glycerine.

The U.S. Air Force spokesman m Washington said General MacArthur’s headquarters had credited air attacks with the positive destruction of 111 Korean Communist tanks to last Saturday. The claims of the pilots before being checked and evaluated totalled 302 tanks.

The spokesman added- that the figure of 111 did not 'include any claims of tanks damaged or probably destroyed.