WINGS OVER JAPAN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25797, 19 March 1945, Page 5

WINGS OVER JAPAN

KOBE’S HEAVY POUNDING SUPER-FORTRESSES AGAIN (Rec. 7 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Mar. 16. Super-Fortresses to-day attacked Kobe in a continuation of the assaults against Japan’s chief cities. It was officially announced from Guam that the Super-Fortresses dropped 2500 tons of incendiaries on Kobe in the heaviest raid on any Japanese city. The target was five square miles in area in the heart of the city. Three hundred or more planes are believed to have participated. A Twentieth Air Force communique says that, striking with the same force in much the same manner as in the recent attacks against Tokio. Nagoya, and Osaka, a very large force of SuperFortresses to-day directed an incendiary mission against strategic targets in Kobe from Saipan, Tinian, and Guam bases. The attack was a continuation of the Twentieth Air Force mission to destroy Japan’s industrial production of war essentials. The planes went in as low as SUUU feet to increase accuracy and to handicap the anti-aircraft defences of Kobe. The primary purpose was to destroy industrial and transportation facilities within highly inflammable sections of the city, as a successful attack on Japan’s principal seaport would handicap Japans shipbuilding and repair programme and create a bottleneck in the main rail artery between the eastern and western enas of Honshu Island . , Kobe lias no large rivers or canals, and is dependent on three reservoirs for its water supply, which is ”I®“® quate for large-scale fire fighting Most of the buildings are of wood and plaster. Destructive Bombing Smoke from great fires still smouldering in Kobe prevented photographic planes from obtaining pictures of the devastated area, says the Associated Press Guam correspondent. Photographs of Osaka showed nine of its fourteen war installations wiped out, including the Nakahama Steel Company. the Kubota iron and machine works, and the Hatsudoki engine works. The Osaka arsenal previously reported destroyed is still standing, indicating that the great explosions which rocked the Super-Fortresses may have come from an ammunition ship or chemical plant. The War Department announces that Liberators are now supplementing the operations of Super-Fortresses based in India and the Marianas. The Associated Press says the Liberators apparently will be used against Japan when the airstrips at Iwojima are ready. A Japanese Report Carrier planes began attacking southern Kyushu and southern Shikoku at 5 a.m. on Sunday (Japanese tinfe), according to the Tokio radio, which says, “An enemy task force was sighted southwards of Kyushu. Our air forces intercepted the raiders and have already scored considerable results. Our air forces are also launching heavy attacks against enemy warships.” The broadcast was recorded at 10.50 a.m., indicating that the attack was still progressing after five hours.