Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-28
Heavy Raj Assault
Follows u. S. Blow
At WiIheImshuven
BE- the Associated Press.

UOll WIN several hunQred tons
of high explosives and incendiary
bombs last night during the
fourth Allied aerial blow at the
German war machine in two
nights and a day, it was an
nonnced today.
Preliminary reports of last
nights raid on the Rhineland by
Lancasters and HalifaXes show sew
eral hundred tons of high explosives
and incendiary bombs were dropped
on Dusseldorf in 20 minutes" an
authoritative statement said.
The Air Ministry had reported
that six bombers were missing from
heavy attack on industrial OBJ
jectives in the Rhineland. which
continued a cycle of raids featured
by the first United States Air Force
assault on the Reich and the first
bombing of Copenhagen.
Dusseldorf, a center of transport
and heavy industry in Northwest
Germany, is 100 miles southwest of
the Wilhelmshaven naval base
which, with Emden. was heavily
pounded yesterday by United States
heavy bombers.
Nazis Strike Back.
The German high command. in a
communique broadcast from Berlin,
sought to discount the effect of the
American blows 1t declared that
"a daylight attempt under the cover
of cloud to bomb targets at Helgo-
land Bay we're foiled by fighters and
AA defenses.
Striking back by daylight, Ger
man flyers attacked a southeast
coast town of England this morn
ing, inflicting considerable damage
and some casualties.
Some of Britain's biggest aircraft,
Lancasters and HalifaXes, each ca
pable of carrying four 2-ton block
busters, were officially reported to
have participated in the blows
against the Rhineland.
The ministry described the attack
as heavy" but did not indicate the
actual number of planes participant
ing.
The thunderous series of bomb
ings was acclaimed by Air Chief
Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, head OF
the Raj bomber command, as the
beginning of campaign Ito bust
Germany wide open
Lend Weight to Strategy Talks.
Psychologically the raids gave
weight to the historic parley he
tween President Roosevelt and
Prime Minister Churchill at Casa
blanca, where they and their mill
tary leaders laid plans for more
intense prosecution of the war by
land, sea and air.
The Berlin radio reported that
the Raj attack last night was di-
rected against the North German
coastal area and said eight of the
raiders were shot down-indicat-
ing that the number of planes par
ticipating probably was fairly large.
The same area was given heavy
pounding yesterday as swarms of
United States Flying Fortresses and
Liberators hammered the naval
base at Wilhelmshaven and related
industries at nearby Emden.
While the American planes were
thus engaged, Mosquito bombers OF
the Raj subjected the Danish cap
ital of Copenhagen to its first
bombing. striking at factories turn
sinp out war materials for the Ger
mans.
The previous night British bombers
had raided the German submarine
base at Lorient and the port Of Bor-
deaux in Occupied France.
In contrast with the wide scope OF
Allied aerial operations, not single
German plane was reported over
Britain throughout last night.
Attacks From Africa Expected.
Observers said the stepped-up
Allied air offensive, viii the Raj
carrying the war to Germany by
night and the United States Army
Air Forces by day, would bring home
TO the German people the fact that
their once-vaunted air force no
longer has control Of the air in the
west.
It was expected that the raids on
Europe by British-ba bomberS
soon would be supplemented by air
attacks from newly-won Allied bases
In North Africa.
The first all-American raid
against Germany proper yesterday
involved a round-trip flight Of some
800 miles for the Flying Fortresses
which struck at Wilhelmshaven,
The Liberators carried out the as
sault on Emden in surprise follow
up to this blow.
Three of the American bomberS
failed TO return from the forays,
which were carried out without
fighter escort, but United States
headquarters said the Americans
shot down a number Of German
planes attempting TO intercept them
Copenhagen Factories Hit.
Airmen who participated in the
raids said they had encountered
surprisingly little opposition.
The main target of the Raj
bombers which attacked Copen-
hagen were factories engaged II
turning out Diesel engines for MAJ
submarines. Dispatches from Stock.
holm, Sweden, said that two biz
factories in the Danish capital hac
been set afire and that five person!
were killed and so injured.
1t was feared, the Stockholm re.
ports said, that an examination O
the ruins would disclose an ever
larger toll Of casualties
Damage in the bombed section,
Of Copenhagen, these sources de.
clared, necessitated the removal O.
some 1000 persons to public build.
Ings taken over as emergency
shelters.
In addition TO bombing Copen-
hagen British planes also attacked
railway targets in Northern France
and enemy shipping off the Dutch
coast yesterday. Only one Raj
plane was reported lost in all these
operations.