Evening star., 1943-06-17
RAF Bombers Hammer Co|oqne
And Other Rhine|ond Torqets:
Landing Bor9es Hit, Rome Soys
FIGHTER Pilots Attack
Transportation in
Holland, Belgium
By the Associated Press.

BY lne hSSOClhleu FIeSS
LONDON, June 17.-Heavily
battered Cologne and other OBJ
jectiveS in the Rhineland were
the RATS targets last night, as
the current aerial offensive
against Germany continued.
At the same time. the Air Min
istry announced, Raj fighters at
tackled transport and other targets
in Holland and Belgium.
Fourteen bomberS and one fighter
were declared to be missing from the
nights operations.
The Air Ministry also announced
that Raj Hurricanes and Typhoons
tore into a hree-ship enemy convoy
early today off the Netherlands and
damaged all of them. one so severely
it was stated. she probably sank
The planes suffered no loss and left
all the ships smoking from bomb hits
and bullets.
Rhineland Targets Not Named.
The last previous heavy raid on
Germany was Monday night when
the coal center of OberhauSen, three
miles west of Essen, and other Ruhr
targets were hit.
Rhineland targets were bombed
Sunday night, but the objectives
we're not specified. The heavy
bombers stayed home Tuesday night
while operations were carried out
against targets from Northern
France to Denmark.
The offensive continued today as
RAF fighters shuttled back and
forth across the Channel to attack
German territory, and 1T
was authoritatively stated that they
had destroyed six enemy fighters in
these operations at the cost of one
Raj fighter plane.
Nine Locomotives Damaged.
Two Raj Typhoons, striking at
GermanyS precious stock of loco
motives. damaged at least nine in
the Douai and Bethune areas of
Northern France yesterday, beating
off four Focke-Wulf 1905 and flying
through intensive anti-alrcraft bar
RACES to make their getaway.
Ever since the offensive against
Hitler's transportation has been
stepped up, trains have been out
fitted with stronger fax protection.
Last nights raid was the l16th
on Cologne and the first heavy night
attack on the city since February 26.
In the February attack it was
said that 500 acres of the city had
been laid waste.
The RAF's attack last night un-
doubtedly was TO nullify rebuilding
efforts in rail and road communl-
cations and to smash repairs in
tended to put chemical works, am
munition factories, engineering and
truck plants, power stations, blast
furnaces and oil refinerieS back into
commission.
Target of 1000 Bomber Attack.
There was another light raid on
Cologne April 9 when the RATS
speedy Mosquitoes darted in at dusk
to lay bombs in the city.
Cologne was the target for the
first l.00O-b0mber attack by the Raj
on the night of May 30 1912. In
that one assault 300 acres in the
city were reported flattened and
more than $50 industrial buildings
destroyed or damaged.
The German radio voiced its
customary assertions that Brit
iSh bombers attacked residen-
tial quarters in Western Ger
man ci les and said that hos
pitals and churches were again
the favored objectives of the
enemy" 1t did not identify the
targets, but said At least IA
bombers were shot down.
The current aerial offensive
against the continent was begun
last Friday by the 8th United States
Air Force, which bombed Wilhelms-
haven and CuXhaven. The American
heavy bomberS have not been out
since Sunday. when they smashed
Bremen and kiel at a cost of &c