Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-05
NewRaidbyRAF
Indicated After
Blow al Leipzig
Reich Center Blasted
As British Fool Nuzis
With Feint at Berlin
By the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. "A massive
fleet Of Raj heavy bombers flew
within a few miles of bomb
shattered Berlin early today in a
colossal bluff which left Nazi
fighters over the capital while
the bombers turned sharply for
a devastating l,500-ton bomb at
tack on Leipzig, catching the
Reich's third industrial city fiat
footed.
A Nazi radio blackout this eve
ming indicated that the RATS big
bompers might be attacking targets
in Germany for the third successive
night.
In the raid early today, the Lam
casters and Halifaxes made straight
for Berlin, battling German fighters
almost all the way in, the Air
Ministry said.
Then. when within sight Of the
capital. only mosquito bombers went
IN to hit selected targets while the
heaVy force veered away to blast
Leipzig 100 miles southwest and
leave the center of that city in a
flaming mass OF ruins.
fastened to Defend Berlin.
At the Berlin turning point, the
Air Ministry said, most OF the Nazi
fighters seemed to lose the main
forces OF bombers, and FASTENED to
defend the capital from what they
feared would be a sixth heavy bonn
bardment in Is days.
Awakened by sirens Just before
4 am. Leipzig had to defend its
sprawling railway yards and diver
slned industries mainly with search
lights and anti aircraft guns.
A small number of defending
fighters turned up at Leipzig before
the downpour of high explosives
and incendiaries ended. but bv the
time full squadrons arrived. the
Raj bombers were headed for
home.
The highly successful feint cost
the Raj % planes-compared with
Al lost Thursday night when Berlin
was hit with more than $500 tons
OF bombs-and gave Reichsmarshal
Hermann Goerings air force an
other problem to try to solve.
II Nazf Aircraft Downed.
The round-the- clock hammering
OF Nazi detectives continued by day.
light today, with Allied planes
knocking down IA German aircraft.
including II Nazi Dornier 2l7
bombers. The bombers were bag
ged by two squadrons of Raj Ty-
phoons racing over Holland, while
other Typhoons hit enemy airfelds
in Belgium.
American fighter bombers - dis
closed by the United States 9Th Air
Force to be fast PAT Thunderbolts
equipped with special bomb racks
hit the airfield at Gilze Rijen, Hol-
and Escorting Thunderbolts
downed three Nazi fighters.
All the Thunderbolts returned
and British losses were one Mos
quito plane lost on offensive patrol
Describing the feint at Berlin, one
Halifax pilot said flares dropped by
fighters mistakenly lit the false path
10 the German, capital.
Lighted Sky for 80 Miles.
There were so many at one point
that they lighted the sky for a dis
lance of 80 to 100 miles" he said
Then the fighters seemed to go one
way, and We another. There is no
doubt in my mind that we had them
properly fooled"
Several fighters were DESTROYED
the Air Ministry said, with one Hall
fax accounting for two Junkers-88S
Aerial reconnaissance late today
confirmed stories of devastation in
Leipzig, with fires reported evidently
out of control and smoke rising
10000 feet high. still visible as a
pilot crossed the German frontier.
The attack showed clearly that
the Raj is able to bomb in undim-
inished strength one night after an
other despite its losses.
Again the Berlin radio promised
-