Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-12-23

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Heavy Damage From ..
Norway to Adriotic
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. Or. A. F. planes
again blasted the German industrial
center of Mannheim and the nearby
suburbs of Ludwigshaven last night
and also attacked the invasion ports
of Flushing, Dunkerque and Calais,
the Air Ministry announced today.
1t was the second week end attack
on Mannheim, important Rhineland
rail junction and manufacturing
| city, which last week was raided
heavily on four successive nights.
Last nights attacks capped q
series of British raids since Saturday
on Germany, Italy and four Nazi-
| conquered countries. The Air Minis
try said only one plane was lost in
the latest forays.
Industrial targets at Mannheim
were the main detectives of the
r. A. F." the ministry said, and
there were fires and explosions both
there and at Ludwigshafen, on the
opposite bank of the Rhine.
The communique said targets
elsewhere in the Rhineland and air.
fields in German occupied territory
also were bombed.
Cvx,;f 49,
unidentified planes passed over
the Alps last night for the second
consecutive night indicated the
British also might have struck
again into Italy. The Swiss re-
ports said Bern, Basel and Zurich
had alarms and IL persons were
injured by bombs dropped near
Zurich.)
Rail Link Believed Target.
Observers believed the renewed
attack on Mannheim was intended
to sever the main rail link between
Germany's vast Saar Valley coal
fields and the war-vital heavy in
dustries of Northern Italy.
One source said such raids were
the R. A. F.'s part in the British
land, sea and air effort to knock
the Fascists out of the war quickly,
thus releasing Britain's Mediter-
ranean fleet for Atlantic convoy
duty and to guard against the still
present threat of German invasion.
Pilots returning from the far
flung raids told of inflicting heavy
damage from Norway to the
Adriatic.
The Air Ministry reported fires
were started in petroleum re-
finery and docks and factory build
ings at Porto Marghera, near Venice,
in a half-hour attack around mid
night Saturday
Flyers were quoted as saying they
broke through heavy anti-aircraft
| fire along the Nazi-held coast OF
France, crossed the Alps flying at
17,400 feet in temperatures 80 de-
grees below zero, but could see the
dark lines of the Venice canals dis
tinctly as they neared their target
(The Italian high command
said bombs dropped in lagoon
at Venice, causing neither casual
ties nor damage The Italians
also said Fiume was bombed by
the British the same night.
Fiume is 100 miles east of Venice
and just across the frontier from
the Yugoslav town of Susak. The
Yugoslav government said bombs
fell in Susak, injuring several
persons and causing considera-
BILE damage The government
declared it would demand COM
pensation from Brittany
| Docks and Bases Bombed.
In the daybreak attacks yesterday
coastal command planes were re-
ported to have bombed important
German docks at Wilhelmshaven
and the Nazi bases at Lorient and
Brest, which are believed used BY
submarines and light naval units
preying on shipping in the Atlantic
Late the night before, other coast
al command planes dumped ex-
ploSiveS on the railroad line which
the Germans were said to be using
to carry supplies from Oslo to the
Norwegian port of Bergen.
The Air Ministry reported that
other raids were directed at oil
stores and industries in Western
Germany, and docks at Rotterdam
and Flushing, in the Netherlands,
| Antwerp and Ostend, Belgium, and
| Calais.
The British Admiralty announced
| last night the apparent loss of the
64O-ton overdue submarine Sword
| fish.
Two Choices for Germany.
Meanwhile, one observer expressed
the opinion that the increasing
force of Britain's blows against
Germany from the air and against
Italy from the air, sea and land
seemingly gave Germany only two
choices:
l. Invasion of England before
BritainS SineWs of war had been
strengthened fully by home and
empire production and an increasing
flow of materials from the United
States.
2. Enforcement of a more effec-
tive blockade-at least doubling the
present average shipping toll OF
$4,000 tons week.
This source said Britain has been
somewhat up against it" because
"she has only one navy to do three
jobs-protect shipping, fight the
Italians and guard against inva-
Sion"-and added:
eff Britain could dispose of The
Italians without leaving herself toe
wide open to invasion and without
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