Evening star., 1944-05-07
War Review
Bombing Indicates S
D.Day Approaches
By Hovard p. Bailey


unbroken air assault on the Axis
shifted detectives in manner
which suggested that D-Day may be
very close at hand.
Largely done with the Smashing
of Germany's war industries for the
time being, especially those engaged
in the manufacture of aircraft ane
munitions, the bombers from Mos.
quitos up to the big four -motorec
craft, struck at railroads, airfields
tank and truck concentrations anc
the Pas-de- Calais area, which offer.
the shortest route to invasion from
the west.
Germany's ability to move larg,
bodies of reserves from rear posi-
tions to threatened points was seri
ously curtailed by last weeks at.
tacks. That the Nazi high com
mand realizes this fact was indi
Gated by the shifting of additiona
forces to Norway and Denmark
where invasion efforts might com,
before or simultaneously with al
attack straight across the Channel
These troops are said to have beer
taken from the reserve pool, which
probably is not at a figure which
can give the Germans any encour.
agement.
The lull on the Russian front i.
interpreted as breathing spell dur
ing which the Red armies are
gathering strength and supplies te
hit in coordination with the drive
from the west. In fact, Berlin re-
ported that large bodies of Red
troops are now concentrating in
Poland.
Pescara Dam Bombed.
In no way reducing the Nazi prob
lem of meeting attack all around
the perimeter of their defenses was
a spectacular raid Friday which de-
stroyed the huge Pescara Dam in
Italy and sent great wall of water
flooding down the valley toward the
port of Pescara slightly north of
Ortona on the Adriatic where the
British 9th Army has been stymied
for some time.
Rail yards in Italy were also
heavily bombed while in the Balkans
the freight centers in Budapest
which are real bottleneck were
seriously crippled.
The Allies celebrated May Day
with 1,500-plane raid on rail lines
In France and Belgium and 500
plane heavy bomber attack on secret
objectives in France. At the same
time, 500 bombers struck at the rail
yards In Milan and the Italian port
of Genoa.
At night 1000 British bombers hit
targets in France, Belgium, Ger
many and Italy.
81 Rail Centers Hit.
The Pas-de-Calais area took a
beating Tuesday from some soc
American planes which reported nc
air opposition and very little fax
Lemans, railroad funnel through
which most of the traffic from Paris
to the ports such as st. Nazaire and
BreSt must pass, was attacked by
Thunderbolt fighter bombers. This
attack brought to q the number OF
rail centers hit within "a hours. In
addition Lyon, Tours, Tolouse
Chambly and other French targets
were attacked, while from the Medi-
terranean command bombers struck
at La Spezia, Leghorn and Genoa,
important ports and naval bases
which might easily become invasion
objectives.
Wednesday the campaign went on
unabated with British planes drop
ping 4,000-pound blockbusters on
the chemical plant at Leverkusen,
which employs some 10000 persons
The Acheres freight yard in France
was attacked along with the Pas
de-Calais section and again in Italy,
Genoa and LIE Spezia were included
in many targets heavily pounded.
Thursday large concentrations of
tanks and trucks at Mailly in
France were smashed as well as the
aircraft stores at Montdidier near
Amiens and an ammunition dump at
Chateaudun. Railroad bridges in
Italy and military objectives in
Bucharest were raided from the
south.
Other Raids in Balkans.
Thursday night Budapests rail
yards were the target of the Medi-
terranean Air Force, while hundreds
OF bombers shuttled back and forth
to strike from England at the in
vasion coast of France Friday.
Friday night came the attack on
the Pescara Dam which sent. five
successive waves of water, each
higher than the other, down the
valley. Full reports of the damage
remain to be given but on a previ-
GUS occasion when only the sluice-
ways were opened by the Italians
a flood 3 feet deep roared through
the streets of Pescara. The present
flood undoubtedly iSmuch greater.
Other bombers struck the rail
yards at the Ploesti oil fields and at
other railroad centers near the Iron
Gate of the Danube. Feeder lines
and strings of freight cars behind
the invasion defense were raided
yesterday and the defenses them
selves were heavily pounded.
Reports from German sources
where the signs of the jitters grow
daily tell of numerous feints by the
Allies during which large numbers
Of troops were said to have boarded
invasion craft only to go back
ashore. This is not confirmed from
Allied sources but if the Nazis be-
lieve the reports to be true, thei,
anxiety apparently is on the up.
grade.
There was little action on eithe,
the italian or Russian fronts, the
Allied forces apparently bidin,
their time to strike when D-da,
comes. In Yugoslavia some sue.
cess was had by Drug Tito and hi:
Partisans who have isolated the
important port of Split and have
made considerable progress in the
Saralevo area.
Japs Hard Hit.
In the war against Japan, agar
as last week the news was all bac
for the japanese save for the cam.
paign in China itself, which i
III