Evening star., 1944-07-03
U.S.. Raid on Budapest
For Second Straight
Day Is Reported
~ the Associated Press.

~ the AStociated PreSe.
=. LONDON, July s. Italian
based American bombers today
struck at Budapest in Hungary
for the second straight day,
German broadcasts reported, as
bad weather held Allied air ac-
tivity In support Of troops in
France to a. minimum.
- The German radio said more than
500 bombers attacked the Budapest
area where heavy bombers yester-
day bombed freight yards, aircraft
aplants and oil reflneries, and that IS
American planes were downed in
fierce fights.
Bad flying weather which limited
Allied air units to TOO sorties over
the week end continued for the third
straight day and threatened to re-
sduce support OF. 1t. Gen. Omar N.
Bradley's attacking Americans and
Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's
'Odon salient still further.
The only activity overnight con-
sisted of minor patrols over Nor
mandy.
400 Normandy Sorties.
~ All British-based planes except
heavy bombers and their escort were
grounded yesterday, but the Allies
we're able to fly from their Nor
mandy bases and about 400 sorties
were made by fighters and fighter
'bombers attacking Orne River
bridges and transport behind enemy
lines.
Assaults against the bomb launch
ing platforms in the Pas de Calais
area yesterday were made first by
up to 500 American Flying Fort
.resses and Liberators, escorted by a
small force of Mustang fighters,
then by Raj Lancasters under Brit
-1sh Spitfire escort.
Allied fighters operating from Nor
mandy bases shot down 81 German
planes in combat late yesterday at
"a cost of three of their own craft.
evhile operating in the battle area.
Rail Yards Severely Damaged.
United States Liberator crewmen
returning to their italian bases said
the Rakos yaSds In the northeast
iern section of Budapest and the
:Manfred Weiss yards. next to the
steel works along the Danube River,
were damaged severely. Also at
.tacked were the Vecses airfield. 10
miles southeast of Budapest, fac
story making twin-engine Messer-
-Aehmitts, and the Shell Koolaz re-
flnery, largest oil center in Hungary.
Great damage was caused to in
dustrial plants at Gyor, midway be-
tween Budapest and Vienna, by
large numbers Of American Flying
.Fortresses. Other forces hit the AL
masfuzito oil refineries 80 miles west
OF Budapest. but due to poor visi-
blIty results were obscured. Two
rail yards In Yugoslavia on the Ia
,greb- Belgrade line were bombed.
Fifty-seven enemy aircraft were
shot out of the skies by Allied air
craft as medium and heavy bombers
and fighters carried out heavy raids
throughout the Balkans and the Po
Valley.
The operations were accomplished
at cost of Is heavy bombers and
eight other aircraft.
:, Western Germany Hit.
Targets in Western Germany were
hit by RAJ heavy bombers without
loss Saturday night, but specific To-
cations attacked were not disclosed
BY the Air Ministry. -
The Mediterranean Air Force an
nounced it flew more than $4,000
sorties individual plane fights |
during June, with the heavies |
dropping 22,6O0 tons of bombs on
targets in Italy, the Balkans, Ger
many and France. Some 480 enemy
planes were shot down against a
loss Of 176 Allied heavies and 1913
other craft.
Raj planes few more than 77,OO0
sorties and dropped nearly $4,000
tons of bombs on Europe during
June. the British Air Ministry said.