Imperial Valley press., 1943-08-23
Raj Roars Back
To Action with
Rhineland Attack

| LONDON, Aug. 23 tUPD-BrltlSh
four motored bombers attacked
Germany's torn Rhineland for the
! first time in two weeks last night
and more Allied planes put the re-
newed offensive on a continuous
basis with assaults on the con-
tinent by daylight today.
Plunging through bad weather
that had kept them grounded foul
nights, the bombers centered their
heavy blockbuster explosives on the
chemical works at Leverkusen, four
miles north of Cologne, where war
gas components are made.
Five planes were missing The
stormy weather obscured results of
the Rhineland raids. Two enem,'
fighters were shot down by the
bombers, which had hit at Lever
kusen only twice since the war
started although Cologne has been
! raided 100 times
Bomber formations protected by
tightly-packed fighter squadrons
passed over Dover Straits at break
fast time, retu ming 45 minutes
later from the direction of France.
SCORE HITS
The Rhineland assault was COM
bined with mine-laying operations
and intruder attacks in which
direct hits were scored on rail-
way line at Cambria, in northern
France, and explosives were drop
ped on enemy air fields in France
and Belgium.
A Berlin radio, broadcast said the
weather forced the bomberS tC
scatter and some bombs fell on
Dusseldorf. But the loss of only
five indicated the weather ham,
pered ground defenses as much as
the raiding planes.
A London broadcast warned
meanwhile that Allied formations
soon would strike as deep into Axis
Europe as CZechosloVakia.
The raid ended four-night lull
for the big bombers, which had
been grounded by inclement wealth
er since they dropped 1900 tons OF
bombs on Germany's biggest Radar
and aircraft arms research station
at Peenemunde, 60 miles northwest
of Stettin, Tuesday night.
The warning of impending raids
against Czechoslovakia was ad-
dressed to Czechs and Slovaks
working in factories, such as Skoda
tuning out arms and ammunition
for the German war machine. Leave
Nazi war factories or risk bomb
ingS, the workers were told.
FOLLOWS RAID
The night activity followed an
other American laid against a
French airfield in the relentless
offensive to smash Nazi air power
in advance Of an Allied invasion of
western Europe.
Martin Marauders of the 9Th U. S
Air Force, with an escort of British
and Allied Spitfires, bombed the
field at Beaumont-Le-Roger south
west of Rouen, late yesterday and
shot down three intercepting fight
ers. Escorting Spitfires destroyed
six others. One Marauder and
eight Spitfires were lost.
German planes continued their
token retaliation raids against
Britain, scattering bombs over east
Anglia and southeastern England
during the night, but no damage or
casualties were reported. An air
raid alarm was sounded in London
when one plane approached the
outskirts. Two raiders were shot
down.
The first American airmen to
return to Britain after participat-
ing in the shuttle bombing of a
Messerschmitt aircraft factory az
RegenSburg, SIS miles southeast of
Nurnberg, Tuesday reported the
Flying Fortresses stirred up some
of the firecest opposition yet en-
countered by the 9Th Air Force.
NEW NAZI PLANES
Flown back here from Africa by
the air transport command, the
filters said they were attacked for
more than 3l2 hours by every type
of German aircraft, including new
| lOChtl ollOOIAlS, b"hi CilSiiCS'
planes. The attacks began as soon
as some of the FortreSSeS crossed
the Dutch coast and lasted almost
until they crossed into Italy, which
one crewman said was like entering
a library from Times Square.
1st Lieut.. Norman Scott of (655
Heliotrore Drive) Los Angeles
Calf, pilot of the Sad Sack No
g." said he saw lots of Fortresses
going down" under attack from
German fighters. One plane pilot.
ed by 1st Lieut.. Ronald R. Hollen.
becj of (204 South Spark street
Burbank, Calf, dropped from
formation with one engine gone
he said, but rejoined the otheI
Fortresses after jettinsoning its in
cendiary bombs, which started
forest fire