Evening star., 1943-05-22
Berlin Targets Raided
|By RAF Planes for
Third Night in Row
Other British Bombers
Sink Two Vessels Out
Of Five-Ship Convoy
By the Associated Press.

| SInk Two vessels Out
Of Five-Ship Convoy
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, May 22.-Britain's
new and speedy Mosquito bomb
ers returned again to Berlin last
night to blast targets In the
Reich capital for the third sue
cessive night.
Other British planes laid mines in
enemy waters overnight while Mos
quito intruders attacked railway
targets IN France and WhirlWinds
sank two ships out OF a five-ship
convoy off the French coast.
The after-dark attacks followed up
yesterdays daylight raids by Ameri-
can Flying Fortresses on important
sources of German U-boat strength
at Wilhelmshaven and Emden and
carried into the 10th night the
aerial offensive which many sources
expect to turn soon into a death
blow attack against Hitler's Europe.
The British reported five bombers
and one fighter missing from the
nights operations.
The German high commands
communique, as broadcast from
Berlin, said major damage was
done to property in Wilhelmshaven
and Emden" by the American bomb
ing yesterday, but claimed II of the
four -engined bombers were brought
down by German fighters and naval
antiaircraft. Headquarters of the
9th United States Air Force here
said II of the bombers failed to re-
turn.
1t was announced oficially that
Whirlwind fighter -bombers sank the
two enemy ships and damaged
third, a medium sized motor vessel
in convoy Of five ships surprised
off Cherbourg.
Mosquitoes. Beauhghters and Bos-
ton bombers struck behind the
French coast in wide intruder raids.
Several trains were shot up. One
plane failed to return, the Air Min
istry said.
An air alarm aroused London
shortly after midnight as the enemy
struck weakly at the capital for the
sixth successive night, but apart
from the noise of furious barrage
directed against a lone raider ap-
parently nothing happened in the
metropolitan area
Nazl fighter -bombers flew across
the southeast coast on two occa-
sions during the night 1t was an
nounced that one raider was brought
down and that bombs caused some
damage and casualties.
The 9Th United States Air Force
said yesterdays midday assaults
on Emden and Wilhelmshaven. Ger
many's North Sea naval bases, were
pressed home and large weight of
bombs" dropped despite very strong
enemy fighter opposition and in
tense flax"
The four-eneined heavy bombers
! flew unescorted and the communioue
said many enemy fighters were de-
stroyed.
Returning flyers estimated that
between 100 and $50 Nazi fighters
swsrmed around the fortress forma-
tlons over Wilhelmshaven. making
the attack the toughest yet-next
to Bremen" raided April II at cost
OF is bombers.
Meanwhile. these factors were
among those pointing up a growing
supposition that it may not be long
| before the beginning of an Allied
attempt to knock out Germany from
the air. program that Prime Min
lister Churchill said in Washington
this week was worthy of experiment:
l. Beyond preparations for a re-
newed home-base offensive. unoffi-
clal observers in London could find
no logical reason why the RAF
should have kept its fleet of four
engine bombers grounded through
more than a week of perfect raid
ing weather. Raj Britain based air
giants have not been out in force
since the night OF May l3.
Z. S.-Built Base Dedicated.
2 Dedicating the first American
built air base in Britain. a 81 600 900
field named for the late 1t Gen.
Frank M. Andrews. 1t. Gen. Jacob
L. Devers. Gen. Andrews successor
as commander of United States
forces in Europe. declared that from
this and other airflelds. bombers
and fighters will darken the skies
OF enemy countries. That is no fig
ure of speech 1t is a fact based
on production figures '''
g. Air Minister Sir Archibald Sin
clair. speaking yesterday at the
opening OF bond-selling campaign.
asserted the Allies now are able to
obtain sufficient number of bomb
ers to destroy the sources Of Ger
man war power" He also said the
present offensive had tied down on
the western front three-Quarters of
million German armed forces to
man defenses, and another three
quarters of million civilians in air
raid precaution services.
4. Capt. Harold Balfour, Under
secretary of State for Air, said in
a Norwich address today that Brit
lsh bombers have dropped some l 500
tons of bombs on German objectives
twice this month and added that
many more Axis cities would be
licked off, on a city-by city bomb
ing calendar.
Fourth Raid Since January II.
Yesterdays Flying Fortress attack
on Wilhelmshaven was the fourth
on that naval base since January a.
| Il have been to Wilhelmshaven
three times. but this was the rough
est trip OF all said 1t. John S.
Lucas Of Atlanta. Ga. bombardier.
The sky seemed full of Focke-
Wulf 1905 and Messerschmitt 109s,
the flyers agreed.
There were so many fighters that
it looked like fighter escort said
Capt. Carl H. Morales of Leaven-
worth, Kans., completing his 25th
raid. I've never seen 50 many
before"
Mother Reduces Her
AIimonv S25 n Month