The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-11-24


ed the death toll in Monday nights
record assault at 10000 persons.
Radio Berlin, obviously smarting
under the terrific offensive against
the city the Nazis said never could
be bombed, threatened terrible ven-
geance" against the British "for
every woman, every child, every man
killed and every cultural monument
destroyed"
1.-The German armed forces will
carry out that retribution on the en-
envy as soon as they receive the
order to do so,' the broadcast said.
This retribution will be a hard,
but just penalty for the horrors
committed by the British
Radio Berlin professed to see
the raids as gesture of Illustration
the Aegean Sea.
Cloud cover was thinner for the
bombers hast night and then ran
into night fighter opposition, but
only 20 planes were lost in the eBr-
lin assault and in subsidiary Mos
quito attacks on western Germany
Convoy Attacked
British Beaufighters rounded o,S
the offensive against Axis Europe
with an attack on an enemy convoy
off the Dutch coast late yesterday
A large tanker was left singing,
two escort vessels were fired and
tire eothers were damaged severely.
Four Beaufighters were lost.
Swedish reports said Monday
nights raid on Berlin destroyed the
residences of Adolf Hitler, Foreign
Minister Joachim Won Rlbbentrop
and Propaganda Minister Paul Jo-
seph Goebbells and the British and
French embassies. Travellers from
Berlin were quoted as saying that
the American embassy still was
standing" but gave no clue as to
whether it had been damaged.
Though the Brandenburg gate adj
jacent to the American embassy al
SO still was standing, travellers said
the Todt construction organization S
headquarters and other nearby
buildings were destroyed or dam
aged.
Last nights third attack in six
1000 to 1900 tons of bombs were
dropped on Berlin Thursday night
pointed to systematic Hamburg,
principal symbol of military might
and biggest concentration of war
factories.
Death Of Berlin
The London Daily Mails air ex-
pert, Colin Bednall, said the death
of Berlin as a war time capital
may well be in sight" as result OF
the terrific aerial bombardment,
whose bomb tonnage for the three
nights alone probably totaled more
than 5000 only $500 tons short OF
the weight of the entire 11-month
German "blitz" against London.
'"The Raj, beyond shadow of q
doubt, has found means OF aerial
bombing capable of wipinc out a
target as huge and as distant as the
German capital" the Mail said.
Other air observers suggested that
the Berlin offensive might be timed
to precede an ultimatLm to Ger
many from President Roosevelt
Prime Minister Churchill and Prem
Ter Stain to surrender uncondition-
ally or face even greater destruc-
ton.
There has been widespread spec
ulation that the big thre might
| frame such an ultimatum at a pres
pective meeting which Axis l-dios
have suggested may take place this
week.
The mighty fleet of four ngined
Strings, Halifaxes and Lancast-
ers took nearly an hour to cross the
English southeast coast on theil
way to Berlin last night and reports
reaching Stockholm suggested they
attacked through pals Of smoke
from still-burning buildings.
Attack Expected
The German DNB Agency sale
Berlin expected the attack and spe-
cial precautions had been taken.
THUS the entire population in de-
voted readiness Immediately took
up fire and rescue work." DNB said
1.-The weather was to some extent
more favorable than on the previous
day. Enemy bomber formations were
attacked by German air defense
forces while flying over the coast
According to incomplete reports, a
considerable number of enemy
planes was shot down."
Reports from neutral and other
sources indicated that the Raj or
Monday night cut three huge
swathes of devastation through Ber-