U.S. BOMBING RAIDS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23260, 23 July 1945, Page 5

U.S. BOMBING RAIDS

Shock To ' inese Pco; ?e Surprisingly Strong By Telegraph- --N.Z. Press Assn.—-Copyright rißec. 6.30 > NEW YORK, July 21. lhe shock of American bombings on lhe Japanese people is surprisingly strong, sax.s the • A>so( ialed American Press. A domestic Tokio broadcast admitted dial the ladies of raiding planes had become so complicated that they could not be anticipated from experience or common sense and the Japanese people were kept in coiislanl. stale, of alarm. A single I-orlrcss raided Tokio to-day as an example of the sneak ladies aimed al creating cold usion. Tire radio added Hint during air raids it was not good to be unduly calm. On the other hand, it also was not good to be dejectedly nervous. Vice-Admiral Mitscher, the new Deputy Chief of Naval Air Operations, j h id the Press that he did not agree I with the theory that the Japanese were hoarding air power for a grand attack. "I believe,” he said, “that they are short of something badly needed. I do not know what. It may be petrol, but we will not know until we go in and find out.” Vice-Admiral Aubrey Fitch, whom Vice-Admiral Mitscher replaced, expressed lhe opinion that the Japanese simply started too late. The. enemy originally had implicit faith in their outer defences and “shot the works | there.” They were now confronted I with the job of improvising defences in i the homeland. Fleets Prowling Coast The Tokio radio said that the I prowling British and American Fleets I may strike Japan again at any moment. The radio urged strict vigii lance by the Japanese people and added that the naval bombardment or 1 other areas of the homeland by the battleships that had already wrecked I Kamaishi and Murmorun or Hokkaido I and the fringe of Tokio Bay was highllv po'sib’e The commentator ex- ! plained that there had been no aerial | tittacks on the enemy fleet because the | Japanese plan was “to offend the I enemy and confuse him.” I Admiral Nimitz’s communique says that privateers attacked shipping- toI dav n’ar Shikine Island, and instaliaI tions on Miyake Island, in the Izu 1 Cl Thii-d Fleet light units which bomI barded No Jima Cape, 55. miles south I of Tokio. on Wednesday night encounI tered no opposition from enemy airI craft, surface or submarine units or 1 shore batteries. The force patrolloci I the eastern entrance to Sagami uull, but found no enemy shipping'. Alter the bombardment of radio, radai and other military installations our ships retired without incident. Marine aircraft hit a coastal ship near the southern coast of Kyushu. The Navy announced that American submarines sank two minesweepers, two patrol escort vessels, a large cargo I transport, a medium transport, three Ismail merchantmen, a small treightei, I and a medium I rm-■ li ■er I ~