Evening star., 1943-06-15
Raj Big Bombers Concentrate
On Oberhousen, Nozi Steel City;
Other Planes Attack in DoyIioht
Fighters Shoot Down
z of IS Focke-WuIfs
Heading for Britoin
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, June 15.-The RATS
front-line heavy bombers made
another mass attack on Ruhr
objectives last night, concentrat-
ing particularly on the impor-
tant steel and coal city of Ober-
hauSen, 3 miles west Of Essen,
and another big formation of
planes, possibly American, roared
across the Channel today.
Coast observers said the daylight
attackers were headed southeast.
AS the big bombers roared toward
the continent, two formations of
Allied fighters already were return
ing from sweep of the Pas de Call
asis area, where they shot down
three Focke-Wulf 1905 out Of two
formations Of IS, presumably set
ting out to harass the British coast.
Is Bombers Missing.
1t was announced officially that 18
bombers were missing from the
Ruhr forays, the fourth consecutive
night assault by the RAF on Ger
many. The nights activities in
cluded mine laying in enemy waters
The OberhauSen raid was the
third reported by the RAF on that
city, although the Germans claimed
1t had been hit fourth time on
April 26 at the same time Duisburg
was heavily assaulted. The RAF re-
ported bombing 1t last in November,
1910.
The city stands on the Rhine
Herne canal and at the junction Of
railways to Duisburg, Dortrnund and
Hamm - making it an important
communications center.
Berlin confirmed in a broadcast
heard by the Associated Press that
the Oberhausen raid had caused
casualties and heavy damage
Allied bomb hits among residen-
tial quarters resulted in considerable
destruction and caused losses among
the civil population, especially in
Oberhausen." said the German COM
munique. Twenty enemy bombers
have been reported shot down so
far"
Large Fires Observed.
The communique said large fires
we're seen mounting from the Ruhr
targets, but an overcast sky made it
"dificult to observe results fully"
Also during the night, it was an
nounced officially, great fleet OF
lighter RAF planes bombed, can
nonaded and machine-gunned rail
and water transport and airfields
just back of the coast from Holland
to Northern France.
Locomotives, freight cars and
barges were hit near the Rhine and
near DiXmude, in Belgium, and
Roubaix and Abbeville in France.
Two enemy aircraft were downed
during the night.
Oberhausen, city with a popu-
iation of some 10000. is located on
the Rhine 35 miles north of Cologne
and lust west of oft-bombed Essen.
1t has extensive iron foundries, roll
ing mills. railway shops, chemical
works and other plants, and is in the
vicinity of coal, zinc and iron mines.
Air Fields Attacked.
The Berlin radio said night
fighters and anti-aircraft shot down
"a considerable number" of attack
ers. Berlin said both explosives and
incendiaries were dropped.
The attack by the front line
heavies was only a part of busy
night for the RAF. ee-clipping
Mosquitoes, Whirlwinds, Bostons,
Typhoons. Beaufighters and Mus
tangs-out in force over the Low
Countries and France-attacked air
fields at Abbeville and Polk and one
in Holland. At least two enemy
planes were blasted to bits at their
bases.
Nad hit-run night raiders loosed
bombs on suburban areas OF Lon
don in the first of two brief post
midnight aIerts, killing seven per-
sons and trapping many others in
their wrecked homes.
Heavy anti-aircraft fire caused
other raiders to jettison their bombs
in open fields outside the city in the
raids, spaced about an hour apart.
Meanwhile British sources dis
closed that Oh recent attacks the
Germans have been dropping rat
tie bombs small 9-inch affairs
which look like baby's rattle and
splinter into a hundred small pieces
on exploding.
British intruder planes knocked
down one German plane over its
base in Holland, it was announced
The terrific pounding that the
Nazi homeland is taking was indi-
Gated by an unofficial estimate last
night that some 5000 tons of bombs
of all kinds have been dropped on
various targets there by Britain
based Allied bombers since Friday
The RATS greatest concentration
of heavy bombers since the war be-
gan accounted for more than 1000
tons of that total in blasting Dussel-
dorf and Muenster on Friday night
The British piled on at least 1,750
tons in the Bochum raid Saturday
night, it was estimated, and added
more in the Rhineland area Sunday
night.
Bremen Shipyards Hit.
American heavy bomber fleets
blasted Wilhelmshaven and Cux-
haven Friday and Bremen and Kiel
Sunday in daylight attacks, contrib
uting an unannounced weight of ex-
plosives.
The American precision bombing
lads scored at least a dozen hits on
and around the Atlas works, one of
the largest shipyards in Bremen,
reconnaissance photographs dis
closed yesterday. Fierce fighter op-
position during the companion
American raid on Kiel prevented
effective use of the cameras.