Evening star., 1943-05-19
Allied Airmen Head
|0ver Channel for New
Blows al Europe
81 German Towns Flooded
By Dom Break; Further
Damage Threatened

By Dom Break; Further
Damage Threatened
BULLETIN.
LONDON R.-F1ying Fort
resses Of the 9Th United States
Air Force struck today at the
German submarine yards at
Kiel and the power station of
Flensburg, 40 miles away,
leaving their targets in flames.
Six bombers failed to return.
BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, May 19.-The roar
of a large formation of planes
over the English Channel this
afternoon signaled the continu-
alton of the Allied aerial war on
the Nazis in Europe after a night
of light activity by the Raj.
The strong force swept over the
straits in southeasterly direction
toward Boulogne and Cap Girls Nez,
riding high in the haze.
Flood waters from the rapidly
emptying Mohne and Eder reser-
voirs in Germany, preached in Sun
day nights spectacular aerial min
ing, continued to spread devastation
and paralysis in Germany's Ruhr
and Weser industrial areas as the
offensive entered its eighth day of
around-the-clock activity.
81 Towns Under Water.
Water levels were rising rapidly at
oft-bombed Duisburg, where the
Ruhr empties into the Rhine, and
upstream at least 81 towns and viii
lagos were reported under water,
with an estimated $4,000 familie
homeless.
A third dam, the Sorpe, which was
mined along with the broken Moline
and Eder Reservoirs also was be-
lieved to have been weakened, and
Raj reconnaissance planes were
watching it closely for signs Of COL
lapse as a result OF seepage. The
Sorpe Dam is 8 miles south of the
Mohne structure at the junction Of
the Sorpe and Ruhr Rivers.
(NBC in a broadcast from Lon
don said it was reported there
that mine dropped by the Raj
in large reservoir six miles
south OF the Mohne Dam had
started Seepage which threatened
further damage
don Hollenbeck, NBC reporter
In London making the broadcast,
said it was indicated that fran
tic efforts were being made by
German engineers to halt the
seepage before the heavy weight
of water ploughed through the
incipent break)
Transport Targets Raided.
Overnight targets of long-range
British fighters and bombers in
cluded score of rail and water
objectives on the strained Axis
transport system, the Air Ministry
News Service said.
Bostons, Beauf1ghters and Mosqui-
toes made up the attacking forces
for the moonlight forays, aimed at
st. Fenger, Port Fraton, Saumor,
Anglers, Nantes and other points in
occupied territory. Barges were shot
up near Les Andelys on the Seine.
One Canadian pilot reported he
hit five trains in four-hour period.
News of the bursting exploit,
however, continued to make the
headlines as examination of recon-
naissance pictures taken yesterday
showed floodtides rushing through
the Middle Ruhr toward Duisburg
and beyond Kassel In the Weser
Valley.
Berlin admitted heavy civilian
losses, but declared damage can be
repaired partly in a short time"
Germans Bomb London.
Enemy raiders struck at London
last night for the third successive
night, giving the capital two sep
arate alerts. The raiders we're met
by heavy anti-aircraft fire at the
city's approaches, but dropped bombs
at several points which an authori-
tative announcement said caused a
small number of casualties and a
little damage. One enemy plane
was destroyed.
The 9th United States Air Force
helped maintain the prolonged aerial
softening-up attacks on the Cont
nent yesterday by sending its new
Thunderbolt fighters on offensive
patrol in force over Axis targets In
Belgium.
In another daylight foray British
! bombers attacked an enemy airport
at Abbeville in France. Earlier Raj
Typhoons bombed a plane dispersal
area at Polk.
The German communique re-
corded by the Associated Press
claimed that Is Allied planes were
downed yesterday in Western and
Southern Europe.
Heavy Damage.
Reconnaissance photographs re-
vealed particularly heavy damage at
Froendenberg, first important In
dustrial Ruhr city below the
preached Mohne Reservoir. Canal
embankments there were wiped