Evening star., 1942-10-11
40 Enemy Warp|anes
Credited 10 Americans
In Assault on France
us Big Bombers Took Port
In Fridays Lille Roid,
Army DiscIoses
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Oct. 10.-America's
four-motored Fortress and Lib
orator bombers drew Adolf Hit
ler's best fighters into a veritable
trap in their eagerness to break
up yesterdays greatest daylight
bombing attack of the war and
probably accounted for 10 of
the machines, destroyed and
damaged, United States Army
headquarters announced to-
night.
The big bombers, by their own
prowess. shot down and destroyed
4s enemy fighting planes. probably
destroyed 38 more and damaged 10,
q communique said.
This tally was made after a thor
ough check in which the 80 planes
listed as probably destroyed and the
10 claimed as damaged first were
included, then withdrawn, and fin
ally reinstated.
These enemy victims were in ad-
dition to the five German planes
downed in dogfghts with the 500
fighter planes escorting the four
engine bombers in the mass raid on
Lille in Occupied France.
1l5 BOmbers Took Part.
The Army disclosed that lis big
bombers participated, clarifying a
figure given only as more than
1o0' Immediately after the raid in
q hastily prepared communique re-
porting only four United States
bomebrs out of about 900 British
American raiders were lost.
While the fighter plane score was
readily determined yesterday as five
OF the enemy shot down, the bomber
command of the Eighth Air Force
of the USAAF had to question more
than 1000 members of the crews
which manned the big bombers to
get the total count of their exploits.
1t was pointed out in today's COM
munique that all reports of the per-
sonnel were cross checked for ac-
curacy.
There was not single fatality
aboard the Ill out of lis bombers
returning, and of the four bombers
lost yesterday a previous commu-
nique had said the crew of one was
known to be safe.
Same Capabilities.
The Liberators and the FLYING
Fortresses are the heavyWeights of
the United States Army Air Forces
Their capabilities are roughly the
same.
Since the Fortress, for example,
can carry 3l2 to 4 tons up to 1000
miles and up to 10 tons on flights
within 1000 miles, the combined
capacity of the lis bombers in the
raid was anywhere from about 400
to l,l50 tons of bombs.
The blow at the Nazis in Northern
France, therefore, was the greatest
ever struck by air in daylight in the
European war theater not only be-
cause of the numbers of bombers
involved but also their size and
hitting power.
Despite the German radios threat
to retaliate, there was little enemy
air activity over England today, the
Home Security Ministry reported in
q communique:
"A few enemy aircraft crossed
the east and southeast coasts of
England this morning. One enemy
aircraft was shot down by anti
aircraft gunfire.
Damage was caused by bombs al
a town on the southeast coast
There were no casualties
London had brief daylight alert
caused by single Nazi plane cross
ing high over the home counties.
Called Brilliant Achievement.
The Press Associations air cor
respondent said the raid was 9
brilliant achievement" which "agair
supports the United States claim
that their Flying Fortresses are
more than a match for any fighter
the enemy Is known to possess.
That the Luftwaffe threw the
newest and best fighters on hanc
against the American bombers If
unspsred numbers was confirmed
by the crews. who told Of Focke.
Wulfs and Messerschmitt 109Fs tax.
ing suicidal risks to attack in pair!
and threes.
Naiz interceptors swooped ovel
and under the Liberators and at.
tackled from every angle, the air.
men said, but everywhere they me-
fire splitting from the big bombers