The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-06-26

ter the size of Rochester, N. Y, and
has been raided four times previous
ly, while Gelsenkitchen is the site
of Germany's biggest synthetic gas
oline refinery.
AS the air ministry was announc-
ing the seventh straight night of
raids by Britain'S bomber command,
an American communique reported
that flying fortresses shot down
nearly 100 enemy fighters in Titan
mic air battles over the Ruhr and
northwest Germany Tuesday and
Friday.
A dispatch from an American
bomber base also disclosed belated-
ly that two groups of flying fort
resses forced by bad weather to
turn back before they reached their
assigned targets in northwest Ger
many dropped their explosives on
an enemy convoy of Is to 20 vessels,
including submarines and other
naval escort. off the German coast.
Bad weather obscured results OF
this bombing, as it did the attack
by the fortresses which reached
their undisclosed detectives in
northwest Germany.
Flying fortresses also were press
Ing the war against the enemy in
the Mediterranean. A large forma-
ton literally covered the docks and
railway yards at Messina, Sicilian
terminus of the ferry line from the
Italian mainland, with bombs in a
daylight raid yesterday, leaving
many fires burning and a merchant
vessel severely damaged.
Altogether 81 enemy planes were
shot down by the northwest African
air forces yesterday and Thursday
night. Coastal air force planes set
fire to an enemy vessel yesterday
and British Wellington bomebrs
left docks burning in raid Thurs
day night on Olbia in northwestern
Sardinia.
British bombers last night ran into
swarms of night fighters over the
Ruhr and many fierce combats fol-
loked, the air ministry said. At
least two enemy fighters were de-
stroyed and third was shot down
during British intruder patrol at
tacks on airfields and other targets
in occupied Holland and Belgium.
Raided Al Times
Gelsenkirohen had been raided Al
times previously, including % at
tacks between May 81 and Dec. 2,
1910, with the last raid occurring
March IA, 1941 The city, known
for its iron furnaces, tin, steel and
boiler works and coal mines in addi-
ton to its refineries, was believed
to have been damaged fairly seri-
ously during the 1910 and 1941 raids.
The Bochum- Gelsenkichen dis
trict produces a third Of the coal
from the Ruhr valley and contains
important railway communications.
Bochum is packed with important
chemical works, including some
from the Krupps combine, and is
the site of the big Verein steel works.
Estimates of the tonnage of bombs
unlaoded by the American planes
yesterday was forbidden by censor
ship, but it was known that British
and American planes in six major
night and two daylight attacks on
Germany, italy and France from
Saturday through Thursday nights
dropped at least $500 tons of bombs,
exactly the same amount that fell
on Britain during, September, Octo-
Der and November of 1910.
With last nights raid boosting the
total hibher, the tonnage dropped
during the past seven nights and
days probably set an all-time record
for sustained offensive.
The German radio, meantime
was painting an ever-darker picture
of the vast devastation wrought by
Allied bombs in Germany's great
industrial Ruhr valley, though it in
sisted the damage was confined to
residential areas.