The Wilmington morning star., 1942-09-07
2U. S. B0MBERS
SAID MISSING

(Continued from Page One)
second time since they entered
the European theater in earnest
August II, while a fourth
squadron bombed the st. Omer
airfield.
Spitfire pilots escorting the
Fortresses said the bombing
of the Meaulte plants appear
ed to be extremely good"
Accounts of pilots escorting
the huge bombers indicted the
Fortresses had to fly through
the heaviest Nazi defense they
have yet encountered. The nazis
apparently had concentrated their
greatest possible strength in vain
attempt to turn back the Fortress
es before they could get in more Of
their deadly bombing.
In their previous attacks, the
Fortresses have planted bombs
with great precision on targets at
Rouen twice, Amiens, Wevelghem,
near Courtrai, Belgium, Abbeville,
Rotterdam and Letrait and II the
first raid on Meaulte.
In the past these powerful bomb
ers have fought off the best efforts
of the German fighter planes to
shoot them down, especially hurl-
ing back attacks by the new Ger
man Focke-Wuluf 100 plane, the
Reich's vaunted aerial weapon.
No Fortresses were accounted as
missing until today, although some
have been dagamed by German at
tacks.
An hour before the Fortresses
took off for another of their day.
light precision raids, U. S. Army
Bostons attacked the Abbeville air
field.
The Raj followed up these as
saults last night by sending its own
Boston bombers over Boulogae
docks.
Throughout the afternoon and in
to the night fighter planes droned
across the channel to harass the
Nazis and engaged the German air
force.
The U. S. Boston bombers were
escorted by three squadrons OF
American fighters and one Cana
dian squadron.
Despite the heavy task of escort
ing American bonbers and making
diversionary sweeps which took
them from Dixrnude to LIE Treport,
fighter squadrons only lost the
three planes reported missing.
There were no U. S. pursuit
planes among the three.
One Spitfire pilot escorting the
Fortresses which raided the i'm.
portant aircraft plant at Meaulte
said the Allied fighters were en-.
gagged by Focke-Wulf 1905 as soor
as they had crossed the French
coast.
"This continued on and off all the
way to the target and most of the
way back to the French coast" he
said. 'tIt was one of the toughest
spots we have been in for some
time.
''The Focke-Wulf 1905 came div
ing down at us, using their familiar
tactics of going away as fast a:
they could after the attack. How
ever, we kept turning in at them a!
they prepared for their dive anc
we severely mauled some O.
them"
Another Spitfire squadron pro
tecting the Fortresses had a run
ming fight all the way into the tar
get and damaged several Naz
fighters.
American Eagle, British and Ca
madam squadroas escorted the
Fortresses.
The extensive assault on North
ern France yesterday came aftel
Saturdays heavy raids on Rouer
railway yards and the docks O.
LeHavre.
The Vichy radio broadcast tha
more than 80 civilians were killec
and lit injured in Saturdays raic
on Rouen.
The Air Ministry announced that
one of the planes which attacked
Boulogne was missing.
While the United Nations were
carrying out their widespread of
fensive, the Nazi activity over Eng
land was only slight.
Bombs were dropped at single
points in northeast and southeast
England and the home counties.
Damage was caused at one place.
Ground defenses opened up a
wltnerlng fire last night when Ger.
man bombers flew over a northeast
coastal town. Bombs were drop.
pea and number of casualties
results.