SUICIDE AIRCRAFT

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25259, 20 July 1945, Page 7

SUICIDE AIRCRAFT

BIG CARRIER DAMA.GED LOSS OF 144 LIVES BATTLESHIP ALSO HIT WASHINGTON, July 18 One of America's newest aircraftcarriers, * the Ticonderoga (25,000 tons) suffered severe damage and 337 casualties, including 144 killed, yhen two Japanese suicide planes struck her near Formosa on January 21, reports the Navy Department. Notwithstanding the heavy damage, the crew took the Ticonderoga to Bremerton navy yard, where she was repaired and strengthened. She has since rejoined the fleet. The Ticonderoga had just returned from the Third Fleet's daring sweep in the South China Sea when a Japanese plane came through a eloudbank and crashed on the flight deck, exploding between the gallery and the hangar decks, which were parked with aircraft refuelling and rearming, The fire, fed by petrol, spread swiftly, but was being successfully fought when another kamikaze crashed into the ship's superstructure, seriously wounding Commander Burch.

Captain (now Commodore) Kiefer, who suffered 65 separate wounds, changed course to avoid the wind fanning the flames, and continued to direct the ship for 12 hours, refusing 'treatment until assured that all the injured men had been attended.

In the second suicide attack, five enemy planes were shot down. The Navy Department has announced that the old battleship Nevada (29,000 tons), veteran of Pearl Harbour, Normandy, South of France and Iwo Jima, was hit by a suicide plane and shells from a shore battery at Okinawa and considerably damaged. The ship suffered 78 casualties, but fought on. The kamikaze struck at dawn on March 27. Seven marines, manning a 20 mm. battery, shot off a wing of the diving plane and then died at their stations, maintaining their fire until the plane struck the Nevada. In a duel with a shore battery on April 5, the Nevada was hit five times. The Nevada fired 71 shells from one battery alone, after which the target area .resembled a gravel quarry after a week's blasting.

ALGERIAN RISING GREAT EXAGGERATION FRENCH MINISTER'S 'STATEMENT PARIS, July 18 In a statement on the disturbances in Algeria in May, the Minister of the Interior in France, M. Tixier, said the Moslem nationalist risings, although serious, had,b<»en grossly and systematically exaggerated by the enemies of France, both throughout Algeria and abroad., M. Tixier stated that French casualties were 88 killed and 150 wounded. Moslfem casualties were 1500, according to a local French civilian estimate, but only 500 according to a local French military estimate. Forty-four Moslem villages, with a total population of less than 3000, were bombed. Less than 20 per cent of the native population directly or indirectly took part in the rising. French troops called in to restore order did not exceed 10,000. Of the 2400 Moslems arrested, 44 had so far been sentenced to death, but the Ministry of Justice was ready to Consider all appeals for clemency.

POLICING THE RUHR WELSH DIVISION'S PART (Reed. 6.10 p.m.) LONDON, July 19 Four battalions of the 53rd Welsh Division are taking the biggest share in policing the thousands of acres of ruins and rubble that used to be the industrial area of the Ruhr. Thev are the First Mancliesters at Essen, the Seventh Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Mnlheim, the First Welsh Fusiliers at Duisburg and the East Lancasters at Oberhausen. They are looking after 12 camps containing more than 16,000 displaced men and women.

BERLIN DEVASTATION NEW DETAILS RELEASED (Reed. 0.10 p.m) LONDON, July 19 A new estimate of the devastation in Berlin conies from an agency correspondent in the German capital. He says that more than 800,000 dwellings have been destroyed. This is well over half the total number in Berlin before the war. In addition 600,000 other dwellings have been damaged. f Russian officers told the correspondent that the battle for Berlin would certainly have lasted many more weeks than it did but for the intensive bombing of the city. When Soviet troops arrived not a train was running nor a boat moving on any of the canals. KEEPING STRONG NAVY POST-WAR NEED URGED LONDON, July 18 A warning against disbanding' too much of the British Fleet after the war with Japan was given by ViceAdmiral J. E. T. Harper, chairman of the Navy League Sea Cadet Corps Committee, speaking at a luncheon of the London Rotary Club. Vice-Admiral Harper said the Navy League's most important work now was to make certain that we retained sufficient sea power after the war. He asked whether we should once again disarm to such a point that an aggressor enemy might he tempted to attack us by our apparent inability to resist him. After the fall of Japan, he added, there would be an even greater need for the Navy League to remind people of the importance of maintaining a strong British Navy.

WILLIAM JOYCE'S TRIAL LONDON, July 18 The counsel for the defence at, the trial of William Joyce for treason oxplained that investigations wore going on regarding not only the nationality of Joyce but also that of his father. "There is a record of the birth of a William Joyce in New York in 1902, and the .Toyeer mentioned may be the one we see here this morning," counsel saici. "It would he our submission that if Joyce was born, in the United States lie could not owe allegiance to the King." Counsel added that documents for the defence were* at present on the way from the United States,

AUSTRALIAN LOANS (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) CANBERRA, July 19 There will he fewer war loans during the coming financial year, nccording to a forecast by the Prime Minister, Mr Chifley, in the House of Representatives. He introduced a bill to authorise the raising of £150,000,000 in loans to finance war expenditure. The bill also authorises a loan appropriation of £150,000,000.

MONETARY DEBATE (Reed. (3.10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 10 The United States Senate after three days of heated debate adjourned last night without reaching a decision on the Bretton Woods monetary plan. A Republican motion to adjourn discussions until the midsummer recess was defeated and the debate will be continued today.