Evening star., 1944-05-16
Germans Bomb
FiveInvdsion
Portsin Britain
RAF Mosquitoes Roid
Ludwigshofen; Allied
Activity Reduced
BY the Associated Press.


LONDON, May 16.-The Ger
man air force, striking with
possibly 300 planes in its own
counterinvasion aerial offensive,
attacked the southern coast of
England last night for the sec
ond consecutive night, and the
Berlin radio said today the as
sault was concentrated on Ports
mouth.
Defensive forces shot down six
planes as the Nazis came over in
two waves shortly after midnight.
-Four other invasion ports felt the
weight of enemy bombs as the raid
ers spread through the dark sky A
hospital was hit, causing a number
of casualties.
Allied operations from British
bases last night we're confined to
attacks by Mosquito planes on the
industrial city of Ludwigshafen, OBJ
jectives in Northwest Germany and
an enemy airfield in France. -Four
aircraft failed to return from these
and mine-laying missions.
Activity on Reduced Scale.
Ludwigshafen was last bombed the
night of May 10 by Mosquitoes, which
have now made seven night pene-
trations over Germany this month.
After week Of the most intensive
bombardment, in preparation for
the impending invasion, Allied aerial
activity from British bases has been
on q greatly reduced scale for the
last go hours. 1t appeared to be a
pause for more new, crushing blows.
The German operation against
the south coast seemed in about the
same strength as Sunday nights
sharp attack against the southwest
coast. In that foray the Nazis lost
is planes.
In last nights attack one Ger
man bomb demolished six houses.
killing a man. his wife and three
children in one of them. Two
churches, a hospital and a yacht
club were damaged in the same
south coast town.
Describing the attack on Ports
mouth, the German radio said large
quantities of high explosives and
lncendiaries were dropped ION most
important targets in this coastal
town" In spite of a very iszac@
enemy Defense the attack was las-
ried out with good effect" the Ger
mans claimed.
1900 Sorties Flown.
Mediterranean Army Air Force
activity slackened yesterday, but
chalked up were about 1900 sorties
In close support of the advancing
5th and 9Th Armies Medium bomb
ers struck harbors and railroad in
stallations. Shipping off Yugoslavia
and Western Italian coasts also
were attacked. Eight Allied air
craft were lost and seven enemy
planes were destroyed.
A Berlin broadcast said the in
dustrial and communications CEN
ters Of Cologne and Mannheim
were among the RATS targets last
night and that other Allied air
craft advanced into the Blight of
Kiel.
Raj crews back from Ludwigs-
hafen said a large explosion was
set off after fires sprang up in the
target area. The city, Germany's
second largest chemical manufac-
turing center and important pro-
ducer of explosives, is the home of
the great I. G. Farbenindustrie
which stretches for nearly three
miles along the west bank of the
Rhine.
Must Surrender Arms.
New evidence of the Germans
mounting tension and fear of an
uprising of conquered peoples when
the Allies begin the western inva-
sion was an order broadcast by the
German-controlled Paris radio that
all arms must be surrendered by
May 20, with the death penalty for
failure to comply.
The German people were warned
(See RAIDS. Page A-5)