ENEMY AIRFIELDS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 21, 25 July 1945, Page 7

ENEMY AIRFIELDS

BRITISH PILOTS IN RAID

Rec. 11 a.m. RUGBY, July 24. British pilots from Admiral Halsey s fleet were swarming off the decks today to pound tfhe chief Japanese home airfields, and flew so low they were able to distinguish grounded planes from dummies which the Japanese had parked as decoys, says a correspondent on board a British battleship off southern Honshu. It was Britain's biggest air day in the Pacific war. The pilots flew nonstop missions to targets less than 100 miles away. . • So many planes were m the air during the day that the fleet had some false alarms as unidentified aircraft came over, but most of the day the gunners were in a "relaxed" state of readiness. , The fleet manoeuvred at will and unchallenged within half an hour's flying distance of the Japanese coast. It was expected that the Japanese might be stung into action, but only reconnaissance planes showed themselves, and these were chased off or downed by the fleet air patrols. ADMIRAL'S VISIT. Admiral Halsey took, the opportunity of visiting Vice-Admiral Rawlings, the task force . commander, and Vice-Ad-miral Viaii, flag officer commanding the aircraft carrier squadron. Nearly 1000 separate signals were handled today by the battleships' communications system, indicating the colossal task of manoeuvring the 3rd Fleet on a 50-mile battle line.—B.O.W.