Evening star., 1943-06-23
Nozi Steel Center Of MueIheim
Blasted in Heavy Raj Attack;
35 Bombers Lost in Night Raids
Big Fires Reported
Still Burning in
KrefeId and Huls
By the Associated Press.

LONDON, June 23.-Hundreds
of heavy RAF bombers ham
mered the German steel and
communications center of Muel-
helm in the Ruhr last night in a
continuation of a mighty round
the-clock Allied aerial offensive,
the British announced today.
Muelheim is 7 miles west of Essen,
home of the giant Krupp works.
An Air Ministry communique said
preliminary reports indicated the
bombing was well concentrated"
It also declared returning crews re-
ported they had seen great fires
still burning in Krefeld, main OBJ
iective of an Raj assault on the
Rhineland the previous night, and
at Huls, which was hit by American
Flying Fortresses in daylight yes
terday.
RAF fighter planes simultaneously
carried out intruder patrols over
Holland and France. shooting down
two enemy aircraft, the bulletin
said.
It reported that IS British bomb
ers and one fighter had failed to
return.
Forty-four bombers were lost in
the Monday night raid on Krefeld.
Late today RAF two-engined
bomber formations with heavy fight
er escort swept across the Channel
TO maintain the pattern of con-
tinuous assault.
These formations were followed by
fighters which headed across an
other section of the coast at a great
height, bound on other missions.
Site of Large Shops.
Muelheim. which has a normal
peacetime population of about 1856
900, was described as satellite of
the great industrial center of Duis-
burg, which is situated at the juno
ton of the Rhine and the Ruhr.
1t is an important center of the
German steel industry as we'll as the
site of large railway car and loco
motive repair shops. 1t also Is one
of the principal outlets from the
Ruhr to Southern Germany by rail.
The city was raided twice in 1910,
but had not been attacked since.
A DNB report broadcast by Berlin
and recorded by the Associated
Press said OberhauSen had been hit
as we'll as Muelheim. OberhauSen,
located only few miles from Muel-
helm. was attacked by the RAF the
night Of June IA.
The German report said "a of
the raidIng bomberS were destroyed.
AS usual. the broadcast described
the attack as "a terror raid" and
acknowledged heavy damage"
The German communique said
the populations of Oberhausen and
Muelheim suffered major cas-
ualties."
Canadians Take Part.
The Canadian bomber command
took part in the nights assault.
The continuing offensive has car
ried explosives to German Europe
in conveyor- fashion, the Muel-
helm raid marking the fourth night
in a row that the Raj has been over
the continent. starting with LIE Creu
got. France, Saturday night, follow
ing up with a 1,000-mile trip to the
Southern German city of Friedrich
shafen Sunday night. and the Kre-
field attack Monday night. During
daylight Yesterday. the Americans
went into the Ruhr for the first
time. kindling square mile of fires
In the German synthetic rubber GEN.
ter of Huls.
A DNB broadcast recorded by the
Associated Press asserted that the
Allies had suffered their greatest
defeat" so far over Western Europe
by losing l35 planes in period of
slightly more than "a hours from
early yesterday until early today.
Official British and American re-
ports, however, listed 80 bombers as
lost in the raids on Krefeld, Huls
and Muelheim in that period. In
addition one fighter was lost on the
Krefeld operations, three British
planes were downeC in a convoy
fight off the Dutch coast yesterday,
and four fighters are missing from
Yesterdays daylight battles, making
grand total of l07
Records did not show Immediately
whether this was the heaviest loss
in any similar period during the
Allied bombing offensive. German
losses reached their peak at 1876 on
one DAY during the battle of Britain
when the Nazis were using smaller
bomber forces than those now en-
ployed by the Allies.
Brief Alert in London.
London had a brief alert during
the night, its 50th of the year. A
few bombs destroyed 20 empty
houses. which had been badly dam
aged in a raid last year and on
which repairs had been completed
only yesterday
The Air Ministry reported Slight
enemy activity also over parts of
Southeast England where some
damage and casualties resulted.