Evening star., 1944-02-16
RAF Drops 2 800 Tons Of Bombs
On Berlin in Wars Biggest Raid;
Germans Casino Line Breached
Big Fires Started;
43Aircruft
In Night Foroys
Ey the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Feb. 16.-The Raj
smashed Berlin last night with
the greatest load of bombs ever
dropped on single target-Well
over $500 tons-Which cascaded
down in 20-minute attack by
800 to 900 heavy bombers.
Forty-three aircraft are missing
from the nights operations, which
included other forays.
The Air Ministry first listed As
planes lost, but later announced the
toll was 43.
The RAF waited two weeks to deal
this crushing blow against the Ger
man capital. Not since January 30.
when Berlin was hit by force ap-
preaching 800 planes, had it made
major attack.
1t is believed that the armada
sent over Germany last night COM
prised the greatest number of planes
ever to fill the Reich's skies in one
night, including 1000 heavy bomb
ers and more than 200 lighter craft.
Berlin itself received the contents of
300 to 900 big bomb bays.
Smoke Rises Four Miles.
Billows of flame swept through
the city when the assault was fin
ished. Crews of accommodating
Mosquitoes reported a large field of
fire, with smoke rising miles into
the air.
just before Berlin was hit a
smaller force of Lancasters made a
feint attack on Frankfurt on Oder,
so miles east of Berlin, and Mos
quitos bombed targets in Western
Germany and Holland. Mines also
were laid in enemy waters.
The heaviest previous raid on
Berlin was on the night of last
January 20, when more than 2,578
tons $4,000 British long tons) were
dropped within an hour. The RATS
heaviest previous raid ON a single
target was its attack on Hanover,
about $500 tons, last September %.
A Swedish report quoting private
advices reaching Stockholm said
high explosives and incendiaries
shoWered down on all sections of
Berlin last night.
Many Fires Started.
All bus, tram and underground
traffic was reported disrupted. Ber-
lin correspondents of Swedish news
papers were almost completely
silenced, but the German
Scandinavian Telegraph Bureau re-
ported from Zurich that the heavy
attack started many fires.
DNB, German news agency, de-
clared in broadcast:
British air Huns carried out an
other terror raid on the Reich cap
ltal. The raiders were favored by
the weather. A layer of dense
cloud lay over the city and the
enemy took advantage of this to
drop bombs at random in several
districts. The terror raiders were
met by extraordinarily heavy anti
aircraft fire. Damage was caused
mainly in residential districts"
Returning pilots agreed a ceiling
OF heavy clouds over Berlin pre-
vented accurate observation of the
results and also impeded the de-
lenses. They said fax over the tar
get area was intense but inaccurate.
Fighter opposition was light as COM
pared with some of the previous
Berlin attacks
The Swedish newspaper Alton
bladet's Berlin correspondent re-
ported that two houses used tenn
porarily by the Swedish Legation
were destroyed by fire bombs and
that Swedish church in the South
western section of the city was hit
by incendiaries.
$4,000 Tons Dropped.
Berlin now has received almost
$4,000 tons (25,OO0 long tons) of
bombs in series of IS heavy at
tacks beginning November 18, 1943.
The total heavy bombers lost on
these night raids is 467, an aver
age of 81 raid
Frankfurt -on-Oder, city of
about 10000, was attacked only once
before, in October, 1940 It's main
industries manufacture machinery
and chemicals and it is important
as railway center.
Among the hundreds of planes
which flew to Berlin was the largest
force Of heavy bombers ever to oper-
ate from Royal Canadian Air Force
bases in Britain. 1t was composed of
four-engined Lancasters and Hall
faxes, of which four were missing.
A communique declared that the
bombers took the offensive against
Germany in very great strength,
flying in all operations over 1000
sorties. The main objective was
Berlin, where we'll over $500 long
tons Of high explosive and in
cendiary bombs were dropped, a
heavier load than in any previous
attack on any objective in air war
fare"
Entire Formation Returns.
Indicating the scarcity of opposi-
ton over Berlin, IS Lancasters
manned by British, Canadian and
Australian crews took off from one
(see RAIDS, Page A-2D