Evening star., 1943-07-10
AifieIds in France
Blasted by Bombers
In Daylight Raids
Foroy Followed Night
Attacks on Ruhr Area
By Big Croft Of Raj
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, July 10.-Strong for
nations of United States heavy
bombers and flights Of Raj light
bombers attacked German fighter
bases In France today.
Flying Fortresses bombed airfields
at Caen and Abbeville and joint
announcement by the United States
Army's European Theater head
quarters and the British Air Min
istry said bomb bursts were OBJ
served on both targets.
Another formation of Fortresses,
finding its target in France OBJ
scured by heavy clouds. refrained
from bombing the objective, but ex-
perienced persistent fighter opposi-
ton.
The daylight foray followed a
very heavy attack" on the central
Ruhr last night by four -engined
bombers of the Raj.
Three BOmbers Missing.
A considerable number OF Ger
man fighters were destroyed by the
heavy bombers, which were escorted
by squadrons of Raj, Dominion
and Allied fighters and United
States Thunderbolts. The fighters
knocked down one enemy plane.
Raj Ventures and Typhoon
bombers. escorted by Spitflres and
Typhoon fighters, attacked enemy
air fields at st. Omer and
Maupertus.
The joint announcement said
three bombers were missing from
the daylight operations.
An Air Ministry communique said
Gelsenkirchen, 27 miles west of
Dortmund on the Duisburg Hamm
railway, was among the Ruhr tar
! gets hit.
The German high command COM
munique, as broadcast from Berlin
and recorded by the Associated
Press. said British bombers had at
| tackled Bochum, few miles south
east of Gelsenkirchen. Buildings
were said to have been damaged
there and fires started.
Ten RAF bombers were listed as
missing from the Ruhr assault.
American Planes in Raids.
Among the great forces of day.
light raiders heading out across the
Channel were many heavy American
bombers and fighters.
Several hundred planes passed
over one district alone, and obServ-
ers declared the formations may
constitute one of the greatest day.
light attacking forces from Britain.
Thus, the combined American and
British aerial might concentrated on
bases in Britain kept going an air
offensive which helps provide proof
of the ring of powerful armament
the Allies are forging around Europe
"a ring that landing forces bent in
ward against the shores of Sicily
this morning.
Gelsenkirchen has been hit "a
times previously, last on June 25.
The town is an oil refinery center.
and also has iron furnaces, and tin,
steel and boiler works. Three coal
mines are located in the neighbor-
hood.
Follows Cologne Raid.
The Raj attack was the second
major air assault on Germany in
as many nights, more than 1000
tons of bombs being cascaded on
the Rhineland city of Cologne the
previous night.
During last evening, the ministry
communique said, aircraft of the
coastal command destroyed Junk
ers 88 off the coast of Norway.
Todays daylight raiders set out
shortly after 7:30 am. The first
formations, flying at an altitude of
between 10000 and 10000 feet, took
half hour to pass over one coastal
point. Other formations followed
in relays. AS one group of fighters
returned, others set out.
An enemy bomber dropped a load
of explosives on a theater in a
British southeast coastal town yes
terday while an audience of chill
dren was watching a cowboy movie.
Twelve were known dead Workers
digging into the debris expected to
find other bodies.
Two enemy raiders also reached
the Greater London area yesterday
afternoon. OF the attacking forces,
two were shot down.
Typhoon bombers attacked enemy
shipping off Cherbourg yesterday
morning and Mitchells, escorted by
fighters, bombed enemy airfields at