Evening star., 1943-12-30
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 30.-American
9th Air Force heavy bombers,
driving deep into Europe by day
light following the RATS 2,24O-
ton assault on Berlin last night,
hammered targets in Southwest
Germany today.
1t was the eighth major operation
of the month for the Flying Fort
resses and Liberators and was a
part of furious, day-long assault
against the Nazis' continental in
stallations. AS usual, the American
heavy bombers were escorted by a
strong supporting force of American
and RAF fighting planes.
The brief official announcement
did not name specific targets, but in
the area designated lie such key
German cities as Stuttgart, Mann
helm, Frankfurt and karlsruhe.
Berlin May Be Finished as Capital.
Last nights heavy RAF assault
may have finished off Berlin as the
working capital of Germany.
The engines of the mighty RAF
night armada that dealt the
eighth heavy knock at Berlin since
the campaign of destruction was
begun were hardly cold before large
formations of heavy daylight bomb
ers, fighter-bombers and fighters
streaked at all heights toward the
continent in the direction of the
bristling "rocket-gun coast of
France, last pounded by 1900
plane American fleet on Christmas
eve.
CA Vichy broadcast heard in
Britain said the French coast
was heavily bombed today)
The extraordinarily strong force
of British Lancasters and Halifaxes
went over desolated Berlin in the
early evening and through heavy
cover of clouds dumped one of the
largest loads of explosives and fire
bombs ever poured on one target in
an attack in this war.
Canadian Heavy Bombers in Force.
In the raiding formations were
the largest force of heavy bombers
ever sent out by the Royal Canadian
Air Force.
In announcing the operation the
Air Ministry described the attack as
very heavy" and concentrated, and
said that smoke spiraled upward to
$4,000 feet from the large fires set
by 1000 long tons of high explosives
and incendiarieS.
(This is equivalent to 2,240
United States tons)
Twenty bombers were lost in the
raid, in Mosquito attacks on West
ern and Central Germany and
Northern France, and in minelaying
operations. Five of the heavy
bombers lost were Canadian.
This was well below the average
of % lost in the seven previous raids
on Berlin.
1870 of City Believed in Ruins.
The grim bombardment, the
eighth in AZ days, presumably was
directed at sections of the city which
so far had escaped 1t was esti-
mated unoficially that ruins now
were spread through at least Is per
cent of Berlin, enough to spell the
end of the capital as the nerve GEN.
ter of Germany's politics and econo-
mics. After the last previous at
tack on December "a it was esti-
mated that so per cent of the city
was devastated.
Under the Nazi regime, more and
more power and influence were con-
centrated within the capital and
the city became not only the party
center but the hub of the Reich's
industry and commerce as we'll
Berlin's razing, therefore, would
go far beyond the destruction of
the buildings within her sprawling
boundaries, and affect the central
lied administration of the war
throughout Germany and occupied
territories. However, the flight of
ministries from the capital began