Evening star., 1942-06-28
u. ). Air Force Staff
In Britain Plans for
Mass Raids on Reich
Preparations Are Made
At Secret Bose to Join
In RATS Assaults
1y the Associated Press.


LONDON, June 27.-A large
vanguard of the United States
Army Air Forces is established
in the British Isles and is max
ing preparations at secret base
to bomb Germany soon in mass
attacks co-ordinated with those
of the Royal Air Force.
This was learned today from re-
liable informants who refused to
Identify themselves for quotation.
How far the preparations have ad-
vanced and the actual size of Ameri-
can aerial units were military Sc
crets, but authoritative sources said
the men were already deployed to
join the great assaults such as those
on Bremen, Cologne, Essen, Rostock,
Lubbock and other German indus
trial or shipping centers.
1t was not disclosed whether
sufficient number of planes had been
amassed for an all-American strik-
Ing force. but as long ago as April
81 it was announced that bombers
for use OF United States airmen were
being ferried across the Atlantic.
Big Bombers Grounded.
The smoke of destruction still
curled from the ruins of the great
submarine base of Bremen today
after the RATS 1000 bomber raid Of
two nights ago, but the great ma
chimes which carried millions of
pounds of concentrated fury to Ger
many were grounded for the most
part overnight, awaiting better
weather. Fighter aircraft, however,
swept widely over occupied terri
tories, mining shipping lanes and
attacking vessels and railway facin-
ties. the Air Ministry said.
In retaliation for Bremen, Ger
man bombers last night raided Nor
wich in East Anglia, setting fires
and killing some persons. Three
raiders were shot down.
The American Air Force has been
expected momentarily to join the
Raj in its second-front assault on
Hitler since the visit here a few
weeks ago of Gen. George c. Mar
shall, United States chief of staff.
The general then declared that
great United States bombers soon
would be flying against Germany
from all parts of Britain.
1t. Gen. Henry H. Arnold, head of
the United States Army Air Forces,
who was in England with Gen. Mar
shall, declared four weeks ago that
"our air arm shall join in an air
offensive against the enemy which
he cannot meet, defeat or survive"
Since then, United States bombers
have joined the battle in the Black
Sea, Mediterranean and North At
rica. They have raided Axis bases
at Tobruk and Bengasi: scored IS
bomb hits on two italian battleships,
and Is of them were reported to
have blasted at Ploesti. the Ruman-
ian oil installations which lubricate
Hitler's war machine, on June IL.
The first official disclosure of
United States air crews in Britain
was made by Maj. Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower, American commander
In the European war theater. He
said Thursday that pilots were ar
irving in rapidly increasing num-
bers"
Administrative sources said the
United States Air Forces would op-
crate under a separate command
but in collaboration with the British
in a long-range bombing plan. This
In itself was an indication that the
American force is sizable. Com
manding officers already are con-
Quoting staff talks with the Raj
on future bombings of Germany.
The British radio said Raj at
tacks on German communications
had created such a crisis that Hit
Ter had appointed Gauleiter Kau1-
mann Of Hamburg "commissar of
shining