Evening star., 1943-07-26
RAFHits Essen
After Two Biq
Hamburg Raids
Is British Bombers
Missing; 19 Others
Lost by Americans
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
= LONDON, July 26.-RAF heavy
bombers made a concentrated
attack on Essen last night while
Mosquito aircraft struck at Ham
burg and Cologne and swept over
Northwest Germany, the Low
Countries and France, the Brit
iSh announced today.
twenty-five planes were listed as
missing in the far-f1ung overnight
operations and five enemy aircraft
were reported shot down.
The Air Ministry announcement
said the raiders encountered good
weather over the target area at
Essen and that preliminary reports
indicated the bombing was concen-
trated and effective.
New Attack Begins.
The great formations OF night
raiders scarcely had returned to
their bases when fresh squadrons of
Allied raiders swept out across the
oLlohllCl IlllS HUI IllIlS tU
continue the smashing aerial of1en-
sive by daylight.
Last nights raids followed a
mighty series of round-the -clock
blows delivered by both the RAF
and the United States 9th Air
Force. British bombers striking at
battered Hamburg Saturday night
and American airmen heaping do
struction on the smoking ruins yes
terday in their deepest penetration
into Germany.
Essen. vital industrial center in
the Ruhr, was last raided by the
Raj the night of May 81. More than
1000 tons of explosives were cas-
caded into the sprawling armament
works in that assault.
Raid Cost 19 Planes.
Last nights raid was the 57th on
E-ssen-one of the most heavily
bombed cities in the world.
In addition to the 25 bombers list
ed as missing in the overnight foray,
one Raj fighter also failed to re-
turn, the Air Ministry said.
Yesterdays raid by the Americans,
the mightiest day assault of the war,
was made at the cost of 10 planes.
The heavy bombers beat off 200
fighters and Weathered a hail of fax
to loose new destruction on the sub
marine nests and port facilities at
Hamburg, the aircraft factories at
Warnemunde. the seaplane base at
Wustrow and the shipyards at Kiel
Black smoke was rising four miles
above Hamburg when the American
reached their target, left by the
l,OO0-plane British raid the previous
night, which was the greatest ever
launched against a single target.
The British dropped 1900 tons Of
explosives and incendiaries on
Hamburg at cost of II bombers.
While the far-ranging United
States bombers were completing
their l,500-mile round trip, Ameri-
can medium bombers, escorted bv
spitflres, famed out over Belgium,
Holland and France in destructive
raids on German supply bases and
communication systems in the oc-
cupied areas. Four enemy planes
and seven Allied planes were Ge-
stroyed in the resultant battles.
The record flight from the west
was duplicated by an American Fly
ing Fortress formation winging 1900
miles round trip from North Africa
yesterday to blast rail yards at
Bologna in Northern Italy.
The unescorted formation explod-
ed an ammunition train and blan-
keted the freight yards without en-
countering opposition fighters OF
fax.
Their attack also was preceded by
an Raj night raid, as Raj Lam
casters, shutting back to Britain
from North Africa. pounded Leg
horn on 1taly's northwest coast
without loss.
German raiders, meanwhile
struck back at Northeast England
last night in a weak blow that
caused slight damage and no casual
ties, the Air and Home Security
Ministries announced today. Three
enemy raiders were downed.