U.S. Navy Department (October 17, 1944)
CINCPAC Communiqué No. 156
Carrier aircraft of the Pacific Fleet are continuing to attack targets on Luzon Island in the Philippines.
Further details now available concerning the results of some of the carrier aircraft attacks on Formosa on October 11, 12 and 13 show that at Tainan, the airfield was hard hit and seven hangars were completely destroyed and five heavily damaged. Several buildings in the barracks area were also destroyed.
At Takao, the harbor area received severe damage. Thirty large warehouses along the dock area were completely destroyed; ships were sunk in the harbor; heavy damage was inflicted in the industrial area. The airfield at Takao was heavily hit and several adjacent buildings were damaged.
The Okayama Airfield and assembly plants, many shops, administrative buildings and hangars were destroyed or damaged.
At Heito, approximately 15 miles inland from Takao, 14 buildings near the airfield were completely destroyed and eight were heavily damaged. At another airfield near Heito, five barracks were destroyed.
Most of the airstrips at the fields which were attacked have been heavily pitted by bomb blasts.
CINCPAC Communiqué No. 157
During the fighting between our carrier task forces and the enemy air forces based on shore in the Ryukyus, Formosa and Luzon Island in the Philippines from October 10 (West Longitude Date) until the time of this communiqué, there has been no damage of consequence to our battleships or carriers. However, two medium‑size ships were hit by aircraft torpedoes and are retiring from the area. Fortunately, the personnel casualties in these two ships were small.
Japanese Fleet units were sighted approaching the area in which U.S. Pacific Fleet forces have been operating in the western part of the Philippine Sea, but on discovering our fighting strength unimpaired have avoided action and have withdrawn toward their bases.
During October 13, 14 and 15, 191 enemy planes attacked one of our Task Groups off Formosa by day and night. Ninety‑five enemy planes were shot down by our fighters and anti-aircraft fire, while we lost five planes. On October 15, fighters from two of our carriers shot down 50 more enemy aircraft out of approximately sixty planes which attempted to attack our damaged ships. On the same day, an additional fifteen enemy planes were destroyed by search and patrol flights from our carriers.
CINCPAC Communiqué No. 158
Elements of the 81st Infantry Division covered by ships of the Pacific Fleet occupied Ulithi Atoll in the Western Carolines on September 20 and 21 (West Longitude Date). On September 20, advance patrols landed on Fassaran and Mangejang Islands on either side of the main entrance into Ulithi Lagoon, and on September 21, our troops occupied Mogmog, Asor, Patangeras, and Sorlan Islands. The landings were not opposed. The possibility that the enemy may not have been immediately aware of these landings led to the withholding of this information until this time.
Pagan Island in the Marianas was bombed by our aircraft on October 14 and 15. Runways and storage areas were hit.
During the night of October 14‑15, and during daylight on October 15, Wake Island was bombed by 7th Air Force Liberators.
On October 16, Eten Island in Truk Atoll was attacked by 7th Air Force Liberators, and on the same day Hahajima in the Bonin Islands was raided. In the latter attack, Okdoura Town was hit, and several small ships in the harbor were bombed.
Carrier aircraft of the Pacific Fleet are continuing to attack objectives in the Philippines.
