Show pattered Battered Jap Navy Fleeing Under ire Big Battle Continues in Midway Area Area- Areat tu t u. u US U.S. S. S Retains Firm Control of Sea J ALASKA CANADA f AN 7 l YV I UNITED a v SAW FRANCISCO HINA qT 4 I V d WAKE Is IS GUAM JOHNSTON m I m I MARSHALL MARSHALLis IS PALMYRA CAROLINE NEIS IS PANAMA NEW HOWLAND f CHRISTMAS K NAURU NAURU CANTON T I IE E ASTIN O AMOA v l FIJI AUSTRALIA NEW SYDNEY Associated Press Press' Map Mop American naval victory off Midway probably halted Japanese attempt to break through U. U S. S Pacific mid-Pacific defenses for blows broken v arrO arrow s at Hawaii Alaska the American west coast and the Panama canal Defenders Destroy Many Planes Planes' Damage Invader Transports t Battleships Cruisers Carriers By FR TRE TREMAINE l PEARL HARBOR Hawaii June 6 UP UP At least eight and probably more warships and transports of a powerful Japanese It invasion fleet have been damaged in the Pacific where ti the enemy is withdrawing under relentless attack of American merican nava naval navai 5 and air forces A spokesman for Admiral Chester W. W Nimitz Pacific flet f headquarters here the total of at least eight enemy ships 4 damaged damaged and and perhaps any number up to 16 or 20 as 20 as the bat ba battered H Japanese fleet fled from its humiliating and possibly th dist defeat near Midway island 1 ti Admiral Nimitz in an earlier had said As more reports come in it appears that the enemy's damage J was very heavy i indeed d ed involving several ships in each of the th the carrier battleship cruiser and arid transport classes STo S- S To clear up the use of the word several whether it mea meant meant i- i sev several ral in each individual class o or sev several ral among the four fourc c categories cate cate- gories gones the spokesman said sald The may be interpreted to mean that more d than one ship was damaged in each class mentioned 1 Thus Thus- with the U. U S. S naval-air naval forces continuing the b battle 4 j I at least two Japanese battleships two cruisers two aircraft 1 I carriers and two transports have been dama damaged ed The disclosure that the major majorI I enemy fleet Included transports made it evident that United States navy air force army and marine defense forces had repulsed a definite definite def def- def def- Japanese invasion attempt attempt- I on on Midway way or Cr even eveian a re vital vita objective Torpedoes Hit Carrier One enemy aircraft carrier first firs damaged by aerial bombs was later strucK K by three United States submarine torpedoes the fighting commander In chief chiet o of the Pacific fleet announced in one of the most dramatic of the war Reciting the damage to the enemy enemy enemy en en- emy fleet he continued This damage is far out of proportion proportion proportion pro pro- portion to that which we received received received re re- re- re While It is too early to claim a major Japanese disaster it may be conservatively stated that United States control re remains remains remains re- re mains firm in the Midway area The enemy appears appears to be withdrawing withdrawing withdrawing with with- drawing but we are continuing the battle There was as yet no official I Indication of the destination or mission of the Japanese fleet which United States war forces working in perfect union had re re- re- re pulsed Attack Beaten Off Oft There remained a possibility that both the Midway attack Thursday and the Dutch Harbor attack Wednesday were diversions to screen a major attack on Hawaii Hawaii Ha Ha- wail or even the United States- States Canadian coast If so the scheme had failed Nimitz's implied plainly that the attack had been beaten of off and probably definitely definite- definite ly y broken Ordered to Hawaii at the dark dark- Continued on Page Pace Two Column Eight A NAVY PURSUES Ii 1 FLEEING JAPS i I. I Continued from Page Pare One est at hour of ot the he war after th the enemy nemy sneak attack on Pearl ii lIar Har ar I b bor or r December 7 Nimitz praised with warmth the fighting men of the he United States tates forces wh who had won this great success The brunt of at the defense to date has fallen upon our la a tion personnel in which the and I army array navy nay marine cor corps corns P I were represented he said They added another sh shining Ining page age to their record of ot achievements achieve achieve- ments On every occasion when w we e have lave met the enemy our Officer l and nd men have been superlative in la their offensive spirit and their complete lack of fear Our country can feel with personnel such as this secure Nimitz said that in sever several Instances la- la stances enemy planes machine machine- gunned United States filers flyers who had lad bailed out of ot their craft by parachute or were adrift in ruber rub rub- ber er boats Jap ap Air Losses High He did n not t mention Japanese plane casualties But his first com corn Friday on the Midway attack had made it plain that the enemy suffered a frightful air force orce toll in its frustrated attack on Midway It was the second of ot the war from Nimitz fleet neet headquarters here at the Pearl Harbor base which first to be attacked by the Japanese stands today oday as a bastion and a threat with little reefed coral Midway 1149 miles to the northwest a United States outpost 2588 from rom Tokyo There was no indication In Nira- Nira tz's itz's whether the United States naval forces expected ex ex- peeled a new and possibly decisive ive e ve battle with the Japanese fleet flee and the question was left open whether the Japanese might tI rr say ay another attack i. i But there seemed no possible doubt that the enemy had suffered suf- suf ered a damaging important re re- pulse A When the Japanese were thrown back jack in the Coral sea battle off the he Australian east coast it was likewise left in doubt whether re r they would renew their attack within a few days One month since the end of ot the five day battle the enemy had not nol in the Coral sea but instead sent a fleet of submarines submarines rines mes into eastern Australian wa wa- ers Six probably seven of them then were sunk for tor a loss to the allies so o far as was known of a small smal depot ship and one merchantman Observers here believed that the United States might now have an as opportunity of ot seriously crippling Japanese naval strength to the extent even of marking a turning turn- turn ing ng point in the Pacific war in is developments in m the Midway zone Jap Force Extensive Official announcement first that Japanese battleships apparently several carriers and certainly a fleet of troop transports were in involved in the action indicated that the he Japanese had concentrated d a abig abig big force f It was believed here that un sm undoubtedly big United States bombers bombers bomb bomb- ers as well as similar planes based on Midway had struck smashing blows at the Jap Japanese nese fleet new re revealed revealed re- re that submarines also were harrying the enemy It was believed that on the basis basis basis ba ba- sis of the success of land based planes against naval units especially espe gape battleships so far in m the the war United States land-based land bombers cooperating with fleet units and carrier planes could hand the Japanese fleet a blow from which it could not recover Naval quarters commenting on n Nimitz's saw a picture pICture pic ture of relays of American planes supported by surface as well as submarine naval units hurling death on a fleeing enemy fleet They were all the more impressed Impressed Im al always always af- af pressed bec because u e Nimitz is ways exceedingly careful to be conservative In his statement that while it itis itis itis is too early to claim a major J Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- P- P anese disaster it may be conservatively conserve stated that United Sta States es control remains firm in the Mid JM- Midway not only the way area they saw smashing of at a repulse but the Japanese thrust at Midway which possibly had been intended as a Ha Ha- a- a preliminary to an attack on wail had haa They believed the Japanese blundered by underrating the e American de de- de e- e strength of the Though the did dd ow not specifically mention P presen presence se e of at American surface craft they believed it possible tl that t navy ba bat were racing out through the ocean to the attack hoping to destroy a crippled enemy fl fleet 1 |