Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 - 1954), Monday 6 August 1945, page 1


7000 TON BOMB RAID PLANNED

FOR JAPAN

12 More Cities Warned

MANILA, August 5. — Plans for dropping more than 7000 tons of explosives on Japan in a single attack were discussed between General MacArthur, General Spaatz, and General Kenny. Okinawa will accommodate most of the planes for the Japan assaults, with the island providing a form of anchorage for aircraft carriers.

GUAM, August 5.— The Twentieth Air Force has announced that 3,000,000 leaflets bearing the Potsdam ultimatum have been dropped over a wide area of Japan, including cities warned of forthcoming raids. Associated Press says that General Spaatz, in a leaflet, warned 12 more Jap cities, Yawata, Akitn, Hachinohe, ..Urawa, Tottori, Iwakuni, Takayama, Fukushima, Saga, Miyakonoso, Otaru, and Mabari that bombing was impending.

James's O'Connor, 'Bulletin' war correspondent in Manila, says that an Indication of (lie Increasing weight of destruction to Jap shipping was given by General MacArthur at the week-end. Nearly 3,000,000 tons of Jap shipping have been destroyed or damaged by sweeps from the Jap home islands southward to the Ectst Indies by planes of the U.S. Air Force, R.A.A.F. and Seventh Fleet. In all, the planes have flown 150,000 sorties, destroying or severely damaging 1376 Jap planes, mainly on the ground . In 1939, the Jap mercantile shipping totalled more than 5,500,000 tons. U.S. and Australian airmen have struck at two-fifths of that gross tonnage. In seven months. Allied flers have sunk 1,032,107 tons, probatoly another 506,090, and damaged 1,308,735. Sixty per cent of enemy shipping lost in July was hit in Jap waters, 20 per cent off China and Malaya, 10 per cent off Borneo, and 10 per cent in other Soutti-West Pacific areas. NEW YORK, August 6.— American 13th Air Force Lightning fighters, In a noon attack on Java, smashed 37 locomotives In the Sourabaya airea. Rail communications were the main target, and the assault persisted for two hours. Australian Liberators and Spitfires cratered runways at Sidate and Tanamon airfields 1n the Celebes. One Spitfire was lost. Australian fighters, sweeping the west coast of Borneo and other enemy occupied areas Inland of Balikpapan, killed Jap personnel, and caused wide

spread damage among luggers and barges., U.o. Navy planes, over the Malwy coast, damaged seven enemy freighters, wrecked shipyard facilities in Riouwi Island, south of Singapore, and sank a small craft near Hongkong.. MaJ-Gen. Wurtsmltli said: 'The Sourabaya sweep should show the Nip he Is not safe from our deadly deck-level attacks anywhere in the Indies or Asia. 'We have developed the long range lighter into an instrument of destruction that works as well 1000 miles from its base as 10 miles away.' He added: 'Last week's reconnaissance in the Singapore area by lightnings was ope of the longest ever flown by fighters.' A Pacific Ocean area communique states Army Liberators on Friday bombed Kataoka naval base, at Kokutan Cape, in the Northern Kuriles. Neivy planes on Saturday sank a small cargo chip in Tsushima Strait, and probably sank a lugger off Honshu. Two enemy fig-hters were shot down, and two damaged. The Toklo radio has denied the State Department's accusation that the Japs are attempting to protect target areas by placing a war prisoners camp nearby, Domei, quoting well Informed circles, charged the Americans with Indiscriminate bombing. The Agency added that no single area in Japan was safe from bombs.. The prisoners' camp would eventually become a target, even if it were placed on top of Mount Fugls. Actually, the camp was in a wide open safely zone near a hospital.