Evening star., 1942-04-24
R. A. F. Smasles
Al German Port
Supplying Firms
Fire, Domoee Left
In Rostock, Baltic
Bose, British Soy
Map on Page A-6.)
~ the Associated Press,

sy tbt Associated Press.
LONDON. April 24-A strong
force of Royal Air Force bombers
heavily attacked the Baltic port
of Rostock" last night and left
widespread fires burning and ap-
parently much damage. the Air
Ministry announced today.
The Germans had been reported
sending streams of war supplies
from Rostock TO the Russian-F Fin
nish fronts.
-Four OF our aircraft are miss
ing" the ministry reported.
Marienehe, near RoStock, is the
site of the head office and a manu-
featuring unit of the Heinkel air.
craft works. Ernst Heinkel Flug-
zeugwerke Another Heinkel fac
tory, is at Warnemuende, just north
of Rostock.
Canadian airmen VINO flew some
of the r. A. F. bombers said Rostock
was really blasted. Rostock was
bombed the night of September Il,
l94l, when large fires were started.
Linked to Lubbock Raid.
Observers saw a tie-up between
the Rostock raid and last months
big smash. at Lubbock, about so
miles southwest of Rostock, but on
the basis Of preliminary reports
hesitated to say Rostock was as
heavily hit as Lubbock Lubbock,
like RoStock, is vital base of Ger
many's war transportation routes.
"All could see Of Rostock was
square of tire as I headed home
ward said one of the Canadians.
The town was lit up to such an
extent that the flames were visible
for so miles"
Rostock lies between Lubbock and
Stettin, another major Baltic sup
ply port which has been a target of
the r. A. F. offensive aimed at
doing all possible to aid Soviet Rus
sia.
A shipbuilding and seaplane fac
tory center as well as supply base,
1t is situated on the estuary of the
Warnow River miles from Warne-
muende, seaplane base. 1t is
linked with Denmark by a train
ferry.
The German radio carried DN.B.
report that British plane reached
the approaches of Berlin, but said
1t dropped no bombs.
. Naxi Bombers FelIed.
Two German bombers were re-
ported shot down over Britain in the
night. A Dornier crashed in flames
In an isolated area. Crew members
bailed out before the plunge and
were captured.
More than a dozen Britons were
reported killed IN the German at
tacks, and there was considerable
damage to dwellings.
In one Southeast English town
five persons, including three fire
watchers, were killed and three were
seriously injured. A high explo-
sive bomb which hit an institution
in another area killed eight and
injured others.
Two MeSserschmitts 'dived on a
southeast coast town at breakfast
time today, dropping bombs on a
working class district. Many small
shops and a number of houses were
damaged by bombs which exploded
in roadway.
One man was dead when dug out
of the wreckage of his home and
several other persons we're injured.
Important Baltic Port.
The blows at the Baltic ports were
described as designed particularly to
break up the German shipment of
munitions and other supplies to the
Russian Finnish front.
Rostock, connected by rail with
Berlin. which is only 108 miles to
the south, is one of the most i'm
portant commercial ports on the
Baltic.
1t has been reported busily en-
gagged in the trans s-shipment of war
materials from the German arms
industry and in handling incoming
food supplies-mainly from Den
mark. The city has population of
about 10000.
Like Lubbock, As per cent of which
was reported burned out by the r.
A. F. raid there, Rostock is a me-
dieval port town.