The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-08
English Authorities Claim Bad Weather Accounted for Heavy Plane Loss X, 43 BRITISH PLANES
 DOWNED SINCE NOV. VI Italy Reports Prolonged British Air Raids Made
 on Brindisi
BY REUEL s. MOORE

BN NSUEA Ss MOOR& United Press Staff Correspondent}
 London, November 8. (UP) = The air ministry said today that the Royal Air Force during the night car- ried out the biggest air at tack ever made on Germany and occupied countries, los ing 35 planes in the huge offensive. The attack was centered upon Berlin, Co. logne and the Ruhr area. It cost the British ord-breakiiiy total of bombers - about s4,OO0, 900 In equipment plus 100 air1nen TT but largely due to bad weather and severe icing conditions, the minis try said.
 'The main RAF attack was on Berlin and Cologne" the ministry said. "A smaller attack was made on Mannheim with subsidiary at- tack involving the use of heavy bombs being made on the Ruhrarcn.
 '"fhirty-five pinnes represents the heaviest loss the RAF has suffered in any faid."
 Loss Cut By Two
 The total was first announced cs 37 but a few minutes later two more hoinbers reached Britain after fight. ing their way back from Germany lowering the total missing to 36.
 The Ministry said that ''losses due to combat were not high cs the weather was too wretched for the German fighters to 90 up."
 Tho British planes ran Into clouds, thunderstorms and icing conditions.
 The R. A. ?. employed It's great four-motored Stirling bomhers with a huge bomb carrying capacity over Germany.
 Secondary sweeps were made by smaller bomber forces over rorth- ern France, centering on airdronies around Boulogne.
 Weat'seP Caused Losses
 "The reason for the severe RAF lossees," the Ministry said, was not any improvement or increase in German defenSes but only the adverse weather. Friday afternoca weather conditions promised to De satisfactory for this season and the RAF hoped to get through large numbers Of night attacks"
 Its oommunique had sasd:
 Berlin, Cologne and Mannheim were the main objectiveS assigned for operations on the most heavy scale by the bomber command last night.
 "Very bad weather was oncoun- tered over the interior Of Germany but Strings, Halifaxes, Welling- ton and Whitney bombers reached the Berlin area in large numbers and dropped bombs despite then- derstorms and severe icing.
 Several Towns Bombed
 "At Cologne Manchesters and Hamptons (other British bomber type) had good success. Several other towns in Germany were bombed as well as the docks at Boulogne and Ostend. Mines also were laid in enemy waters. A nuln~ Der of bombers were forced down on their return journey. A total Of 36 planes are reported missing"
 It was noted here that the RAF losses were higher than had eveF been reported for either the Brit iSh or the German Luftwaffe in one nights operation. The biggest Luftwaffe bag ever claimed by tlYo British for one night was 30 planes last May 10th.
 The British claim that the attack was the biggest ever made indIcage cd, observers felt, that despite the severe losses the RAP may not have approached the 10 DOT cent loss figure which is generally regarded as prohibitlve for continuarce ce
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