Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-08-03
Raj Fleet Batters
Hamburg 9Th Time
Within 10 Days
Continued From First PageD

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The smashing blows at Hamburg
which apparently represented an ex.
pertinent IN obliteration bombing
technique, were begun by the Raj
that same NIGHT when 1900 tons oil
high explosives were unloaded or
Germany'S second largest city.
American Flying Fortresses struck
at Hamburg again the next day anc
Raj Mosquito Dombers followed ur
with a night attack. The same
procedure was followed on Monday
and on Tuesday the Raj made its
second 2,300-ton night assault. Mos
uuitos maintained the offensive
Wednesday night and on Thursday
night the RAP carried out its third
2,300-ton raid.
City Declared Virtually Deserted.
Reports from neutral sources over
the week end described Hamburg as
heap of rubble as the result of the
almost continuous pounding to
which it has been subjected.
Stockholm dispatches said that
orders for the evacuation of the
remaining civilian population-which
once totaled more than 1000 ,0O0-
had been issued after the Thursday
night raid and declared the city was
virtually, deserted.
The Stockholm Aftontidningen in
dispatch from Zurich quoted Ham
burg police as saying 3o,542 persons
were killed, wounded or missing. Not
q single building was spared some
damage, the report added.
Casualties were listed as totaling
8347 killed, 1881 wounded and 3,514
missing. 1t said $50 industrial plants
and 1883 residences were demolished
and STA other residences were
damaged severely.
Before the maSsed raids started
one-third Of the German submarine
output.
Berlin Speeding Evacuation.
The Berlin correspondent of the
Stockholm newspaper Aftonbladet
said Sunday that devastation in
Hamburg had caused more conster-
nation in Berlin than almost any
p other event of the war.
Swedish correspondents in the
German capital also reported that
as a result of the Hamburg raids
German authorities were speeding
the evacuation from Berlin Of all
civilians not engaged In essential
occupations In anticipation that the
city might be next on the Allied
blitz list.
A dispatch from Bern, Switzer-
land. said Allied bombing blows at
German cities, particularly Ham
burg, pushed the italian crisis out
OF the public mind in Germany.
DR.. Robert Ley, leader of the Ger
man labor front, gloomily asserted
there is nothing to do but fight to
the f1nish," the dispatch said.
THE nation is bound irrevocably
to National Socialism wherever
the party steers the ship of state. If
1t sinks all must drown-there is no
escape" DR.. Ley added. according to
the dispatch.
German newspapers admitted the
reality and horror of the bombing
at Hamburg surpassed every re-
port, every letter and every imagin-
ing possible" Berlin newspapers no
longer spoke of courage but said
merely "the danger cannot be
escaped and therefore must be
faced"
ENJOYS Reported Leaving.
The Germans apparently have be-
come convinced that air power has
developed to such an extent that the
Allies are opening new phase of
the war.
The Berlin correspondent of the
Journal de Geneve said never be-
fore has the danger of an air war
been discussed with such gravity in
the capital and the Nazi press said
the whole world must prepare to
sustain baptism of fire such as
suffered by the ruined cities in the
Ruhr and Hamburg.
There were reports that all Reich
ministers were leaving Berlin
nightly and newspapermen were ad-
vised to sleep outside the city.
A large number of planes of the
Canadian Bomber Command par
ticipated in last nights attack on
Hamburg. which was accompanied
by Stockholm broadcast quoting
an official Swedish announcement
as saying that foreign planes had
flown over Southeast and South
west Sweden. The planes were not
identified in the broadcast.
The British raiders were said to
have encountered heavy weather
last night and strong antiaircraft
defenses.
While the RATS heavy bomber
crews were resting up yesterday,
American medium bombers were
busy over France, attacking Ger
man airdromes at Merville and st.
Omer and returning without loss.
They were supported by squadrons
OF Spitfires, but the latter did not
have chance to tangle with the
German air force as the enemy Of
fered no fighter opposition.
Since a week ago Sunday Amer
lean medium bombers have been in
the air over European targets every
day with the exception of one, GEN.
tering their attention largely on the
chain of fighter bases on which the
Germans depend for protection from
Allied bombing raids.