Evening star., 1943-10-03
~ German Fighters
DoWned in Attack
On Port Of Emden
By tie Associated Press.

BY TIE Associated Press.
LONDON, Sunday, Oct. s.
American Flying Fortresses,
again escorted by long-range
Thunderbolts, blasted port in
Stallations at Emden, Germany,
yesterday and with their hard
hitting fighter escorts shot down
10 German fighters, a communi-
que said early today. Two Fort
resses were lost.
The Fortresses bagged IA enemy
planes and the fighters 5, the
bulletin said.
Marauders, escorted and covered
by RAF, Dominion and Allied Spit
fires, attacked the airfield at st.
Omer-Longueness in Northern
France.
These latest blows came a scant
II hours after the Germans re-
ported that the United States 9th
Air Force Fortresses had joined the
Raj in big night raid on the
Ruhr Friday night. The German
claim was not confirmed by 9th
Air Force officers.
Widespread Attacks Continue.
There were indications of con-
tnulng widespread attacks early to-
day against Hitler's so-called Euro
pean fortress which now is being
subjected to two-way aerial ham
merlng from both British and
Mediterranean bases. An air alert
sounded in Bern, Switzerland the
usual sign of Allied aerial activity
against Axis targets. Radio sta
tlons in Berlin, Munich, and other
German-occupied cities also went off
the air last night.
Allied attackers streamed across
the Channel yesterday to keep up
the Crescendo Of the assault.
The Emden raid was the third
big blow on Axis targets in two days.
Emden. the Nazis prime North
Sea merchant shipping port since
Hamburg was wrecked was an AL
lied target two days during the last
week. Fortressos hit the city in
daylight Monday and the RAF con-
tinued the hammcring that night
In Yesterdays attack as in the
Monday daylight raid, single
engined Thunderbolt fighters went
all the way to cover the Fortresses
that blasted the port-a round trip
Of approximately 800 miles.
Moderately Stiff Opposition.
Returning pilots described the
Emden attack as successful and
reported it was completed against !
moderately stiff air and ground op-
position
United States 9th Air Force Of
fiCers maintained silence on the
German radio report that American
bombers had Joined the RAF in the
assault last night on the Ruhr in
duStrial city Of Hagen, which is
both rail center and an important
industrial target.
The German announcement re-
called, however, that as far back as
March MAJ. Gen Ira c. Eaker. 9th
Air Force commander said FLYING
FortreSses would bomb at night-a
field of operation hitherto carried
out exclusively by the RAF.
Whether or not it has joined in
the night bombing, the 6th Air
Force has quadrupled, Al least the
power Of its heavy raids on Ger
many and France since A year ago.
1t now is sending out an average of
over 200 bombcrs on each raid, and
1t is likely this average was much
exceeded on number of recent
raids During September the Ameri-
can planes dropped more than 5000
tons Of bombs.
The attack against Emden today
was the second enc for that city this
week. Emden was bombed twice on
Monday, in daylight by the Fort
resses and at night by the Raj.
Two-Way Blows Against Reich.
Since the destruction of Hamburg.
Emden has fallen heir to big block
OF German shipping. 1t is the ter
minus OF the Dcrtmund- Ems Canal
used to carry Scandinavian iron ore
and other vital raw materials to
the Puhr.
The tWo-way blows against the
Reich began from North Africa YES
terdaE. American Flving FortresseS, .
making their first raid on GERMANY
from the Mediterranean theater and
their longest operational fight from
Northwest African bases, pounded .
Munich in round-trip fight of
approximately ! 800 miles. Liberia
tors teamed with them to blast the
MesserSChmitt air frames factory
at Wiener Neustadt Is miles south (
east Of Vienna.
The Hagen bombing resulted in
the loss Of two planes from a largo
toA WA IINtIS SdIu 11d9Fu, q
city Of 10000, IS miles from Boch- I
um, was left almost undefended'
with OILY some searchlights and a
few heavy guns" indicating the Ger
mans were anticipating an attack
elsewhere.
A summary of 9th Air Force ope-
rationS for September disclosed the
average bomb load per plane now
IS about 2l2 American tons as
against l'2-ton load estimate
generally used by air experts here
last fall and winter.
Marauder Operations Tripled.
The total bombload dropped on
the enemy by Fortresses and Liber-
ators alone in September was 5,4O0
tons, This is probably something