Evening star., 1942-09-07
StoIingrod RepuIses Foe Again;
Reds Still Holding Novorossisk;
Flying Fortresses Keep Up Raids
Raj Blasts Duisburq
After Record u. S..
Attacks on France

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sept. 7.-Flying
Fortresses, escorted by aircraft
of the Fighter Command, oper-
ated over enemy-occupied terri
tory this morning, it was authori-
tatively reported late today. The
Fortresses presumably were
manned by Americans.
The heavily -armored, four -motored
bombers crossed the English coast,
heading toward German positions on
the continent, in broad daylight,
continuing an offensive which has
sharply challenged German air
fighting forces.
The enemy was reported to be
bending every effort to crack down
on the fortresses because of the
remarkable success they have mad.
aside from the fact that the
precision bombing of the Fortresses
is causing heavy damage" an au-
thoritative source said, "Goering
cannot allow the legend of in
vincibility to grow up around them
without severely damaging the
morale of the Luftwaffe.
That's why they are making every
attempt to block the American
| raids"
Raj Smashes Duisburg.
The United States Army Air Forces
staged their greatest daylight raids
on Nazi-occupied France yesterday
and by night the Raj smashed at
Duisburg, Germany's great inland
port at the junction of Ruhr and
Rhine Rivers, and elsewhere in the
industrial Ruhr.
For the first time in nine daylight
raids against the continent, the
American squadrons of Flying
Fortresses returned yesterday with
gaps in their ranks, for two of the
bombers were missing.
In the succeeding night raids the
British reported eight of their air.
craft were missing. A ninth Raj
craft was lost in today's operations.
Hub of Rail, Water Traffic.
Duisburg is a great industrial city,
with large metallurgical manufac-
turing plants; center for the ship
ment of coal, and hub of railway
as we'll as water traffic.
The blow against it and the nearby
Ruhr area was the fifth against
Germany by the Raj in the first six
nights of this month.
The night RAF raid, which the
Air Ministry said was carried out
by a strong force-meaning hun
dreds of planes-left tremendous
fires, which reconnaissance pilots
found still raging today.
The devastating attack by the
night shift was followed today by
raids on occupied territory and
shipping off the Frisian Islands and
in the English Channel.
The German high command COM
munique, as the Berlin radio was
heard here, admitted damage in
several towns, especially Duisburg,
but as usual said only that civilians
and private homes were harmed.
The Germans claimed that II of
the raiders were shot down and
that others were destroyed over
occupied territories.
10 Sweeps Made by Fortresses.
This assault followed by only a
short time the announcement that
four squadrons of American Flying
Fortresses and fleets of Boston
bombers had hammered at military
targets in Northern France yester-
day, while 400 Allied fighters swept
so miles inland in diversionary at
| tacks.
The United States Army Air
Forces have made total of 10
sweeps in the European theater
with the Flying Fortresses, the
tenth being an operation over the
North Sea in which six German
| fighters were shot down or dam
aged in a 20-minute battle Au-
gust 81.
In yesterdays fighting, the heav-
| lily armed Fortresses destroyed five
enemy fighters, probably destroyed
l3 more and damaged another 25,
a communique said.
Competent air observers in Lon
don, meanwhile, expressed the opin-
ion that if the United States and
Britain concentrated their aerial
strength in this theater during the
next three months instead of dis
| persing it over scattered world
fronts, they could insure an eventual
Allied victory.
Conversely, they said, the war
might well be lost in the same period
if the United Nations continue to
fight the way Hitler wants them to
on dispersed fronts"
These commentators, who asked
that their names not be used, said
a concentration of strength would
help the Russians by forcing the
Germans to withdraw some OF their
planes from the Eastern front, would
insure air supremacy necessary for
an Allied invasion of Europe and
would permanently cripple war in
dustries.
Plane Factory Target.
The main target of the Flying
Fortresses yesterday was a factory
at Meaulte which is engaged in the
manufacture of airplane parts, three
squadrons taking part in this assault.
The fourth squadron bombed an air
drome at st. Omer.
Returning flyers said heavy op-
position was encountered over
(See RAIDS. Page A-5)