Evening star., 1943-12-03
RAF Drops 2 900 Tons Of Bombs
During Big Air Batt|e Over Berlin;
5th Army Presses New Offensive
Great Fires Roge;
al Planes Lost
In Night Raids
By the Associated Press.

LONDON, Dec. 3.-RAF heavy
bombers attacked Berlin "in
great strength" last night, show
ering nearly 1000 tons Of explo-
sives and incendiaries during a
violent half-hour battle over
the city, which began around
7:30 o'clock.
Shooting toward the German cap
ttal, already third demolished and
where fires still flared from four
previous heavy raids. the squadrons
of four-engined bombers drove
through fare paths lighting the ap-
proaches to the city from as far
away as so miles, pierced heavy
antiaircraft fire and fought scores
OF night fighters which the Germans
had massed over the arena.
The British announced the loss of
II aircraft in this and other opera
tionS, but at the end they left great
geysers Of flame shooting up from
the stricken city, the worlds fourth
largest, and pillows of smoke and
flame which climbed to heights Of 3
miles.
Big Blockbusters Dropped.
During the half-hour time at
least 80 four-ton blockbusters hur-
tied down among the defenders.
Telephone lines to Sweden were
knocked out almost at once. but
they were shortly restored.
The tonnage of bombs brought
to about $4,000 the total dumped
on Berlin during the war.
The Germans in their broadcasts
acknowledged that the attack blan-
keted the whole Berlin area, already
i ma great state of disruption with
only a few transportation lines re-
stored to service from previous at
tacks, with the streets still filled
with debris and the people living
from hand to mouth from temporary
stores established in cellars and
street stands.
But the Nazis. who apparently
had concentrated every available
weapon and fighter they could
muster, claimed they had shot down
80 bombers.
Mosquitoes Raid Reich.
Simultaneously with the Berlin
at .ack, Mosquito raiders hit targets
in Western Germany.
Indications were that the Raj
had achieved a destruction in Berlin
to the extent that it was now spread
ing out its attacks to avoid bombing
what had been hit before.
This was reflected in the German
reports that the raid extended over
the whole metropolitan area and
corroborated by Swedish correspond
ents' dispatches, which said new
fires we're blazing all through the
north central and southern sections.
The wide-open fight, one of the
greatest night air battles of history,
was fought in relatively clear wealth
er in which Berlin was only half
covered by clouds and lit up by hun
dreds of searchlight batteries.
Fortresses Raid France.
The raid was the second important
Allied heavy bomber assault on Nazi
facilities in less than II hours.
Yesterday American Fortresses
from the North African command
carried out heavy assault on the
submarine pens and construction
facilities at Marseille in their first
blow on that Nazi Mediterranean
base.
According to Nazi versions of last
nights Berlin raid. large formations
Of German fighters met the incom-
Ing British planes over the Elbe
River, some IS miles west of Berlin,
and engaged them in a running
fight.
1t was the first raid on the capital
since last Friday night, when a great
feet Of Raj heavy bombers deliv-
cred pulverizing assault.
Blitz Launched November 16.
The current "blitz" was launched
with heavy attack the night OF
November 16. On November % an
other great force of Raj raiders
dropped 1900 tons of explosives on
the capital in the wars greatest
raid, and third massive blow was
delivered the following night. Mos
quito bombers struck lighter blows
on the two succeeding nights.
Despite German threats of fearful
reprisals for these assaults, Britain
again was free of enemy raiders last
night.
Headquarters of the United States
9th Air Force, meanwhile, disclosed
that Britain-base American planes
had set a new monthly record by
dropping more than 1870 tons of
bombs on Germany or occupied ter
ritory and shooting down EST enemy
planes during November.
American losses for the month
were 80 heavy bombers, six medium
bombers and ~ fighters.