Evening star., 1942-06-01
1000 Bombers Hit
Nozi City With
Record Attack
BY DREW MIDDLETON,

can be knocked out of the war
by fall, crushed by huge fleets of
American and British bombers,
air experts predicted today as
the German city of Cologne lay
in flaming ruin under the most
devastating air raid in history.
When the R. A. F. sent more than
1000 bombers with the greatest
weight of steel and explosive ever
borne on wings into the Rhineland
Saturday night, these sources de-
clared, its flyers herAded not only
an eventual invasion of Hitlers
Europe, but also the systematic de-
struction of his war machine, city by
city, factory by factory.
The r. A. F. continued its Of
fensive against the Nazis in daylight
today with flights of fighters active
over Northern France, apparently
concentrating on the Calais area.
OF such magnitude was the Co.
logne raid that only a masterwork
of organization, with the bombers
swarming over their targets at g.
second intervals, made it possible.
Summary of Raid.
It's paralyzing might was told in
astronomical figures:
OF three-fourths Of Cologne
afire and under a 3-mile high
pail of smoke:
OF more than 1000 bombers
roaring over their German
targets in Cologne, and elsewhere
in the Rhineland and the Ruhr
Valley in a Commute procession
of death and destruction;
OF perhaps 1850 planes in all,
including the bombesr protective
Fighter escort, in the greatest
aerial armada ever put into the
skies at one time;
Of 100000 pounds of bombs
dropped;
OF twice the number of planes
and four times the weight of ex-
plosive and incendiary bombs
that ever were pumped on
Britain in a single night, even at
the height of the German air
assaults.
OF 5000 airmen in a single, in
tricately co-ordinated air at
tack;
OF 100 900 men in ground crews
at home sending the planes of
from scores of bases.
Nazis Scoff at British Claims.
Even the Germans admitted
great damage" to Cologne, their
fifth largest city, although the Ber-
lin radio scoffed at the British an
nouncement of the scope of the at
tack, quoting Nazi military sources
as saying only "about TO- planes
took part.
An authoritative source said that
Immediately after the Cologne raid,
Heinrich Himmler, chief Of the
Gestapo, assumed control by decree
of Reichsmarshal Wilhelm Her
mann Goering of the whole air raid
precaution services in Germany. The
services, it was said, will be incor-
porated into the German police
force.
Reuters, in a dispatch datelined
"on the German frontier" said hun
dreds of thousands of homeless peo-
pie were being removed from the
Rhineland following the attack on
Cologne. Wealthy Germans were re-
ported anxiously trying to transfer
to safer districts.
The British said their losses were
A planes, picked off by 500 anti
aircraft guns and many night fight
er squadrons.
On the basis of British reports
that the R. A. F. used 1850 planes
in all, this was a loss of less than 4
per cent-compared with the 10 per
cent generally mentioned as the
maximum losses which still would
mark a raid as a success.
Only Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg anc
Munich surpass Cologne in size
within greater Germany. Beside be-
! llS dIl llllpOl tdllI Illdllul az ~ Ol Ill Z
center of 10000 population in the
heart of a great German industrial
region, Cologne also is great Rhine
River port and the hub of all rail
lines connecting Germany and
France.
Though one ponderous blow
virtually had flattened a great Ger.
man city, the raids significance lay
for the British in the vision it raised
of more, and worse, to come fol
the enemy.
Prime Minister Churchill himself
pictured the Cologne attack as part
of master strategy rather thar
an isolated achievement.
He told the flyers in message
of congratulation that their work
(See COLOGNE, Page A-2)