The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-06-29
ALLIES RECORD
AIR OFFENSIVE
ENDS 1OTHDAY
BY WALTER CRONKITE
UNITED Press Staff Correspondence

BY WALTER CKONkITE
UNITED Press Staff Correspondence
London, June 90 - British
bombers in Great strength
dropped upwards of 2.0a0
tons of explosives on Cologne,
industrial capital of the
Rhineland, last night and a
smaller force simultaneously
hit Hamburg, Germany's
biggest port, to send the rec
ord-shattering Allied air Of
fensive through its 10th
night.
The attack on Cologne, Ger
many's most bombed city, came
while the Nazis were making stren-
nous efforts to rebuild its devastat-
ed industries. More than 900 acres
of Cologne had been destroyed in
previous raids, including 1000
plane assault last year Though last
nights raid exceeded the 1000
planer in weight, fewer bombers
participated.
Twenty-fiv bombers we're lost Il
the wo-pronged attack which fol-
lowed by only few hours American
daylight raids on the big German
U-boat base of St. Nazaire, on the
French Atlantic coast. And an inn
portant Nazi fighter base at Beau
mont LIE Roger, 10 miles northwest
of Paris.
Convoy Attacked
Raj fighters and Albercroes Of
the fleet air arm joined in last
nights offensive with an attack on
an enemy convoy trying to slip
through Dover Strait with supplies
or reinforcements for German gar
rison forces on the French coast.
At least one of the three mer-
chant ships in the convoy and two
of the escorting motor torpedo boats
were damaged. the air ministry
said
Altogether the Raj has sank or
damaged nearly million tons OF
enemy shipping in attacks from Bril-
fish bases since June 1941, includ-
ing 250,000 tons in the past year
alone.
Other British and American air.
craft from the northwest African
command heaped new destruction
on San Giovanni, one of the Italian
mainland termini of the important
ferry lines to Sicily, and raided air
dromes in Sardinia. Twelve enemy
aircraft were shot down and only
two Allied planes were lost.
The British-based bombers, mostly
four engined Strings, Halifaxes
and Lancasters, concentrated their
main assault on Cologne, Germany's
third largest city and the target OF
the RATS first 1,000-plane raid last
year.
Clouds over the city made full
observation of results difficult, but
large fires were seen to be burning"
the air ministry said.
The official German news agency,
DNB, said in a Berlin broadcast that
the Cologne cathedral, begun in the
18th century, was hit by bombs and
that the central nave was damaged
badly. The cathedral. which con-
tains the Shrine of the Magi, was
not finished until the 10th century.
A lesser weight of bombs was
dropped on Hamburg, Germany's
second city and a big shipbuilding
center. Other bomberS laid mines
in enemy waters.
Last nights raids were 117th OF
the war on Cologne and the 9th
on Hamburg.
A German broadcast acknowl-
edged heavy damage in Cologne to
public buildings, cultural edifices"
and residences. 1t said 26 British
planes were shot down.
The assault on Cologne marked
switch from Germany's shattered
Ruhr valley, Keeling under the
weight of $4,000 tons of bombs
dropped by the Raj in the last
half month, to the Rhineland, next
in Importance as source of tanks.
arms and munitions for Hitlers
armies.
Radio Algiers broadcast reports
that Adolf Hitler has ordered 1900
900 war prisoners into the still
smoking Ruhr Valley to help cleat
away debris and another 100000
prisoners to Austria to build new
factories to replace those wrecked
in the Ruhr.
The air ministry announced that
reconnaissance photographs of the
Raj raid on Bochum June IL dis
closed that 100 acres in the center
of the city, including nine industrial
had been devastated
and TOO buildings destroyed or dam
aged severely. Bochum was raided
again Friday night
Cologne is the most bombed city
in Germany with Hamburg ranking
second.
The American raids on St. Na-
Zaire and Beaumont lie Roger wEro