Staging the most daring attack in the annals of war aviation, an undisclosed number of Japanese naval bombers early yesterday morning landed in the centre of the new aerodrome at Nanchang, vaunted Chinese base in Kiangsi, to permit their crews to run round the field setting fire to five grounded Chinese planes with matches.
This was officially announced in a communique issued at 7 p.m. yesterday by the command of the Japanese China Seas Fleet. All the Japanese machines participation in this dare-Gevil stunt were said to have returned to their respective bases safely.
In addition to setting on fire grounded Chinese machines, the bombers' crews were creditted with having chased a gasoline supply truck with their pistols forcing it into an adjoining rice field; seized two machinegun magazines from the doomed Chinese planes as war booty and visited vacant hangars.
Death of Veteran The communique simultaneously announced the death of Lieut.
Mochifumi Nanga, Japanese veteran ai countless encounters, whose machine was wrecked when hit by a falling Chinese fighter in flames. The ill-fated Chinese machine had been hit by Lieut. Nango's machine guns, The raid, the communique asserted, resulted in the destruction of 20 Chinese planes. Eight of these were fighters, shot down by a Japanese squadron, seven others were set of fire by bombs and machine-gun bullets from bombers commanded Lieut.-Commander Makoto Matsumoto.
It was craft from this unit that sul sequently landed to set fire to five remaining Chinese craft. Anothr bombing squadron commanded by Lieut. Takashi Watanabe visited the old aerodrome at Nanchang but reportedly only found Chinese dummy aeroplanes.
Chinese aviators and soldiers guarding the near aerodrome, apparently taken aback at the reoklessness of their opponents, kept up only a desultory machine-gun and rifle fire that was totally ineffective, the communique claimed.
lAs Japanese aircraft approached Nanchang at dawn, the communique said, fifteen Chinese fighters took off. In an ensuing combat, which cost the life of Lieut. Nanga, who commanded the Japanese pursuit squadron, eight Chinese craft were said to have been shot down.
Then bombers, then launched an attack on the remaining three Soviet-built S. B. bombers and assorted fighters with bombs and machiveguns, the communique stated. Seven were set on fire.
(Immediately upon touching ground, the crews alighted and went about setting fire to Chinese plane:
Because of a prevailing wind, matches were found to be ineffective. Tearing fabric from the grounded Chinese machines, ihe fliers managed to make impromptu torches which they stuck into the gasoline tanks of the grounded craft.
At the signal of Lieut. Ozawa, the crews returned to their -respective machines taking off amid Chinese machine-gun fire. Lieut. Ozawa's craft was the last to take-off.
Lieut. Nanga, who lost his life in a freak accident, had fought in Central China since September last year.
He gained distinction by fying back from a raid on Anking in November last year by plugging a hole in his gasoline tank with one hand while piloting his machine with the other.
In a subsequent combat over Nanking on December 2 last year, the late officer was credited having downed 13 out of 30 Soviet-built 1-16 fighters that engaged his fight of six planes.
He was also known for his flight over Nanking aerodrome when he dove low to carry out a minute reconnaissance of all defences at that base a few days before the fall of the former Chinese capital.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.