Evening star., 1943-06-12
RATS Greatest
Armada Hits
Dusseldorf
43 Bombers Are Lost,
200 U. S. Planes
Raid Nuzi Cities
BY the Associated Press.


LONDON, June 12.-The Raj,
resuming its deadly offensive
against the armament centers of
the Reich, sent the greatest force
of heavy bombers of the war to
attack several targets in the
Ruhr and Rhineland last night,
concentrating it's greatest deluge
Of bombs on Dusseldorf, it was
announced today.
Muenster was the biggest target
among the secondary objectives, the
Air Ministry said, and 43 bombers
were lost in the assault which fol-
lowed by only a few hours heavy
daylight precision raid by 200 Amer
lean four-engined planes against
the naval bases of Wilhelmshaven
and Cuxhaven.
The weight of bombs dropped last
night undoubtedly exceeded the
record 1000 tons loosed on Dort-
mund May %, and the number Of
planes used probably was the larg-
est since 1850 Raj bombers of all
types-large, medium and light
were sent against Cologne the night
Of May 30, 1912.
(Although this dispatch stated
that the formations used last
night made up 'the greatest force
of heavy bombers Of the war;"
the actual number employed was
not announced.)
Great Damage Reported.
"Duesseldorf was the main OBJ
jective and a highly concentrated
attack was delivered in just over an
hour" said the Air Ministry COM
munique in telling of the night Of
fensive.
preliminary reports indicate
great damage was done.
"A smaller force attacked Muen-
ster where good results were
achieved.
Several other targets in the Ruhr
and Rhineland were bombed"
Muenster is little more than 60
miles northeast of Dusseldorf and
is on the Ems River.
The Air Ministry said British in
truder patrols also were over the
Netherlands, where they shot down
a German plane last night.
The German high command in a
communique broadcast from Berlin
and recorded by the Associated
Press, declared 81 British and United
States aircraft, mostly four-engined
bombers, were shot down yesterday
and last night.
Two-Week Lull Ends.
1t acknowledged that the attack
on Dusseldorf caused many losses
among the population and consid-
cradle damage to dwelling houses as
we'll as public buildings" and that
the American attacks also caused
losses to the Germans.
After a two-week lull, the longest
respite from pre-invasion aerial
blastings granted Hitler's Europe
during 1943, U-boat nests and har-
bor facilities at Wilhelmshaven and
Cuxhaven in Northwest Germany
and Dusseldorf, iron and steel
works center in the Rhineland, were
dealt shattering blows in the re-
sumption of round-the-clock attacks.
The Raj attack on Germany's
third largest inland port city was
described authoritatively as Every
heavy which probably meant the
assault was comparable to the recent
1,5O0- -2,0o0-ton raids aimed at
obliterating German industrial GEN.
ters one by one
1t was the SD raid on this big
Ruhr target which received its
heaviest blasting on May 25 when
about 500 British bombers dumped
almost 1000 tons of explosives on the
city.
The 9th United States Air Force
was the first to break the tWo-week
lull yesterday when it sent the big,
four -englned planes through swarms
of enemy fighters and heavy flax on
the 800-mile round trip to Northwest
Germany.
Russians Deliver Blow.
Meanwhile, more than TOO Russian
planes struck at German air and
military concentrations from the
east yesterday, and according to
Soviet announcement destroyed or
damaged $50 Nazi craft and set off
(See RAIDS, Page A-4.)