TARGETS IN RAID

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 22661, 14 July 1945, Page 5

TARGETS IN RAID

PETROLEUM CENTRE KEY AIRCRAFT PLANTS AMERICAN AIR STRENGTH I (United Press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received July 14, 3.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, July 13 The petroleum centre ot Kawasaki, in Tokyo Bay, one of the targets of the force of 550 Super-Fortresses yesterday, is a target of military sig-. : nificance because it contains a great storage area for aviation petrol, Diesel oil and alcohol, says the New York Times correspondent on Guam. Officials said they were more concerned with knocking out storage facilities than refineries, because the Japanese are no longr able to obtain sufficient quantities of crude petroleum. Uwaijima, another of the targets, is arr important inter-island port and textile centre. Utsunomiya contains key aircraft plants and is an important transport centre. All the cities struck »re “tinderbox” cities, similar to Akashi, which was hit on July 7. Reconnaissance photographs show that Akashi was 43 per cent destroyed. Other photographs show that the oil refinery at Shimotsu was 95 per cent destroyed in two recent raids. Base On Okinawa The Tokyo radio reported that 180 bombers and fighters from a base on Okinawa fruitlessly attacked airfields in southern and eastern Kyushu today. Admiral Nimitz’s communique says search planes destroyed a factory, heavily damaged another and struck at railway facilities on the east coast of Kyushu. General MacArthur’s communique says that reconnaissance planes, maintaining their blockade of the Asiatic coast, set fire to storage facilities near Hongkong and on the IndoChina coast. Heavy bombers over northern Celebes attacked air installations at Tanamon and Donggala. The toughest fighting in the air war in the Pacific still lies ahead, says a report prepared by the Undersecretary of the Navy, Mr A. L. Gates. Already 27,000 planes have been shot down by the American Navy, Marine and Army air forces. Americans Lose 6926 The total American losses have been 6926 planes. The report adds “Our airsea team will undoubtedly meet even stiller resistance as it progresses toward the home islands of Japan, where we can expect to encounter the increased use of suicide “Last year more than 26,000 aircraft joined the United States Fleet, which now includes 27 flrst-lind carriers and 69 escort carriers. So far no fast carrier, battleship or cruiser has been sunk by suicide attacks, although extensive damage has been caused. New 45,000-ton super-carriers are now being made ready for action.” A Twentieth Air Force communique says that in the incendiary demolition strike yesterday bombing was done by instruments, with results unobserved. Two Super-Fort-resses were lost and another is missing. JAPANESE ADVANCE LANDING SOUTH OF AMOY . (Received July 14, 11 a.m.) \ CHUNGKING, July 13 The High Command’ announced that the Chinese had captured Fengkang, 7£ miles from Kanhsien. The Japanese who landed south of Amoy were advancing towards Changpu, an important highway centre 35 miles south-west of Amoy. UNANIMOUS VOTE , RATIFICATION OF CHARTER (Received July 14, 12.15 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 13 The Senate Foreign Relations Committee by 20 votes to 0 recommended i ratification of the United Nations 1 Charter.