Evening star., 1943-09-06
Germans Report
Battle Against
American Planes

LONDON, Sept. GRAF bomb
ers in very great strength
probably 700 or more four
engined giants carrying 1000 to
$500 long tons of bombs-turned
the twin war-factory cities of
Mannheim and Ludwigshafen on
the Rhine into smoking ruin last
night, and the Berlin radio re-
ported that American bombers
were following up with daylight
attacks in Southwestern Ger
many.
The channel sky was filled all
morning with large formations of
aircraft as the Allies began their
fifth successive day of around-the-
clock assaults. Four large attacks
apparently were carried out before
8 am. Among the aircraft going
over were American Marauders.
The Berlin broadcast, recorded by
the Associated Press, said the
American bomber formations were
attacked over Northern France by
German fighters and that heavy
losses were inflicted on the raiders.
"At the present moment fierce air
battles are taking place over the.
region of Wuertemberg- Baden the
broadcast added.
Big Formations Cross Channel.
The last United States daylight
raid on Germany was carried out
August II. when American heavy
bombers struck simultaneously at
Schweinfurt and Regensburg. The
Schweinfurt raiders went on later
to bases in North Africa, executing
the first American shuttle lombard
inent over Western Europe They
later returned to Britain, bombing
targets in France en- route.
The German announcement of the
daylight raid followed reports from
the British southeast coast that
squadrons of high-fying Allied
bombers had been seen heading out
across the English Channel shortly
after dawn.
So large were the formations that
they took almost two hours to pass
overhead.
The overnight RAF raid on Mann
HEINZ -Ludswigshafen was the third
successive night assault Ger
MANY and was CARED 0dt lif fofce.
The Germans reported 81 four
engined bombers were shot down.
Rhineland Raided.
The Rhineland and airfelds In
Northern France and Belgium also
were raided by the night force and
an enemy motor torpedo boat and
a minesweeper were destroyed in the
Channel.
Thirty-five planes were lost by the
British, "a of them bombers.
Wuertemberg and Baden Prov
inces where the Germans said Amer
ican daylight raiders were fighting
are in Southwest Germany, in an
area heretofore untouched by the
Americans. Stuttgart is the main
city in Wuertemberg and is Just
north of Switzerland.
Mannheim and Ludwigshafen are
the site Of important factories pro-
ducing armor plate, chemicals and
Diesel motors and have combined
population of 100000. It was the
58th raid on the twin cities which
were last hit on August 8.
Airports in France Blasted.
The RAF night raids continued an
almost incessant pounding of Ger
many and occupied areas in West
ern Europe which started FRIDAY
night and with a large scale attack
on Berlin. During the day Sat-
urday American planes raked Nazi
alrports in France. Mosquitoes of
the RAF lashed at the Ruhr and
Rhineland Saturday night and the
Americans took up the offensive
by day yesterday.
United States 9th Air Force Ma
rauders struck at railway yards in
Ghent, Belgium, yesterday morning
with what communicates described
as good results"
WoeIiSuracnt, Dutch sea coast
town near the Belgium border. tar
get of RAF Bostons.
Yesterdays raids were covered bv
Raj and Canadian fighter planes
and stirred up strong Nazi opposi-
tlon. Nineteen of the defending
German planes were downed in the
ensuing combats.
The German radio asserted YES
terday that the British made an
attempt Friday night to land troops
on the small island of Ushant in
the Atlantic Ocean off the western
most point of Rance. They added
that the attacking force was driven
OH after only one landing ship had
reached the beach.
British combined operations head
quarters and other officials declined
10 confirm or deny the German
claims, but many commando oper-
atoms are carried out which are
not announced by the British.
The British. however, announced
that light coastal forces engaged
large group of enemy minesweep-
ers off the French coast and tor
pedoed one patrol ship and badly
damaged two others in a two-hour
battle.
~ko R,,H>L:.