The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-29

preach II not exceed q total Of s.
600.
The Eighth Air Forces 1000
bUmbers with an escort Of more than
400 fighters bracketed Berlin with
bombs at distnace ranging up to
$50 miles In the six-way at kctano
$50 miles In the six-way attack on
poman and nearby Kreising in Po-
land, and Leipzig, Squau, Cottbulsan
and Tutow Germany. on three sides
Of the capital.
Claim As
While the Americans were on the
way home, the German radio
claimed As U. s. bombers and five
fighters were shot down over north
ern Germany in violent air battles.
The first fighter pilots back from
the long rang emission with the
bomberS said the Germans did not
try seriously to interfere with the
formation they were protecting, A
Mustang group led by Col. Don
Blakeslee Of Fairport Harbor, Ohio,
accompanied the heavies over Po-
land.
The targets Of the Italy-based
forts and Liherators were the VIE
ner Neustada Nord and Wollers-
dorf airdromes along with the Noll
aircraft factory near Wiener Neu-
stadt and the Atzgersdorff plant six
miles southwest Of Vienna.
Intense anti-aircraft fire was en-
countered over all the Austrian tar
gets, headquarters at Naples an
nounced, and considerable numbers
OF German planes challenged the
raiders.
Italy-based Liberators in COM
panion action few two missions over
Jugoslavia to hammer German troop
concentrations In support Of Mar
shall Tito's Partisan forces.
About 400 American Marauders
and Havocs, the biggest force Of Its
kind ever mobilized, this afternoon
attacked bridges in northern France
and belgium and the Achiet cir
field IN France,
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance planes which few
over three OF the bridges 10 minutes
after the bombers left said one was
completely broken, a span Of another
was toppled into the river, and the
third had row Of bomb craters
across It. Bomber crews reported at
least IL hits on a fourth bridge, this
one across the Meuse at Liege.
Havoc crewmen who hit Achiet
said they left hangers burning and
bomb craters across the runways.
Mitchells and Bostons of the Raj
attacked rail yards In Belgium and
military targets in northern France.
Earlier rocket-projecting Typhoons
made successful attack on power
station in northern France.
Thousands Of Allied bombers
swaruned out from Britain through
out Tie morning and into the after
noon. Coastal observers indicated
the operation might be one Of the
heaviest in the pre-invasion bomb
ing Of western Europe.
The German Transocean News
Agency said 80 American planes, in
cluding IS heavy bombers, were shot
down in the heavy fighting swirling
over the German Baltic coast region
and on either side of Berlin.
The 1900 American planes in
vaded some 10000 square miles Of
the Reich to deal the pre-invasion
blows at fighter factories supplying
the" German air force.
Two Formations
Two formations Of heavy bombers
penetrated Poland in 12-hour
flight Of more than 1900 miles. Poz-
nan, big industrial city and railroad
center so miles behind the German
I border, and Kreising, five miles to
the south, were their targets.
The attack on Leipzig was the
second in two days by American
planes. One arm of the record
2,25O.plane feet naction yesterday
hit Junkers aircraft engine factory
there.
Hundreds Of lighter Allied planes
hammered necessarily at the Nazi
Notifications along and behind the
coast.
Late in the morning the English
Channel coast rocked under the
impact Of heavy explosions along
the French shore. Correspondents
In southeast England said planes
were streaming overhead in virtu-
ally unbroken relays throughout
the morning and into the afternoon.
A strong force Of American Ma
RAIDERS and HavCcs attacked four
bridges in northern France and
Belgium and Havocs attacked four
bridges In northern France and
Belgium this afternoon together
with the Achiet air field north Of
Paris. Ninth Air Force Thunderbolts
escorted them.
Air Battles
The Germans DNB agency said
that the air battles over Germany
today were cas- grim and fierce" as
those Of yesterday, when e43 Nazi
planes were downed for loss Of "a
Allied bombers and Is fighters.
The unprecedented pre-invasion
bombardment Of western Europe
reared through the night with a
three-way Royal Air Force assault
on Anglers, French rail center
southwest of Paris. the invasion
coast of Frence. and the Rhineland
Chemical center of Ludwigshafen.
A sunburst of Nazi radio warn
ings indicated that American heavy
eegsheTs with strong fibhter escort
wwee eflgAssd fl one OF their most
widespread strikes at North Gen.
trail Germany. bracketing Berlin
itself with flights covering the
area from the Baltic southwark be-
low the capital.
Although early enemy reports said
nothing Of an attack on the capital
itself. they told Of fierce air bat
ties over hundreds OF square miles
lying TO the north and over the area
least Of Magdeburg." which is
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