The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-18

high altitude precision attack on Rouen in occupied France.
 Berlin, giving the first detailed report of the British raid, said the RAF planes attacked areas on the vitally important industrial area on the right (easD bank of the Rhine, centering on the great Rhine land-Ruhr railroad and war factory center of Osnabruck, last attacked on the night of August 10 by force of upwards of 150 planes.
 Germany admitted that explosive and incendiary bombs had caused fires and said, as usual, that resi- dential districts especially suffered.
 Twelve of the U. s. Army Boeing Flying Fortresses, the Precision Bombing BITS dropped every one of their tons of bombs in a heavily defended target area at Rouen, 84 miles northwest of Paris and 56 miles east-southeast of Le Havre.
 They scared, in their attack, over the ancient place Vieux- Marche, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 and over the Ca- thedral where the heart of King Richard I, Richard of the Lion Heart, was entombed more than 700 years ago.
 Will Keep It Up
 It was indicated clearly that on every day and night when weather permitted, American and British planes, bombers and fighters, would be on the attack until German cities had been leveled one by one.
 The pattern of the combined of- fensive was clearly indicated yes- terday when the Boeings made their first attack, 12 centering on Rouen, six more conducting diversional op- erationS and all returning safe.
 The fortresSeS attacked by day light at high altitude, using to best advantage the American bomb sight, the best in the world, which permits the Army Air Corps to engage in bombing from high attitudes impos- sir'n to any other air force.
 British, Canadian and American fighter squadrons protected the fortresses, but one of them shot down Focke- Wulff-190 fighter, one of Germany's best, and the escort fighters shot down two challenging enemy fighters for the loss of one of their own.
 Tt could not have been more suc- cessful," said Maj Gen. Carl Spaatz commanding United States air forces in the European theater.
 T think they all behaved like vet erans. Everything went according to plan. This is a real start. We'll keep it up whenever feasible"
 The first joint communiue of the U. s. army headquarters and the air ministry said:
 United States army air forces flying fortresses (B-17s) escorted by Royal Air Force, Dominian and AL lied fighters, made 8 high altitude attack on the railway marshalling yards at Rouen late yesterday after noon.
 "The attack was successful, all the fortresses releasing their entire bomb loads on the target. countered and one was shot down
 Enemy pursuit planes were en- by the gunner of flying fortress.
 Brig. Gen. Ira c. Baker, conn., manding general of the United States army air force bomber com- mand, led the attack in flying fortress.
 Meanwhile, other escorted fort resses were conducting diversional operations. All tn efortresses re- turned safely.
 '"The escorting fighters had many comhsts with enemy fighters, two of which were destroyed. Two of the escorting fighters are missing"
 The air ministry said the bombs were seen to burst in the railroad yards and that two sticks of heavy bombs hit the engine shed.