Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-02
liberator Fleet Hits
Reich for First Time
Without BIZ Escort
By the Associated Press

LONDON, April 1.-Americar
Liberators bombed industrial ane
communications targets deep il
Southwest Germany today and some
of their number accidentally
dropped incendiaries on the border
city of Schaffhausen in neutral
Switzerland, causing So to so deaths
and heavy damage
A United States Army COM
murfique reporting the days activ.
ity did not list the German targets
of the Liberators which for the
first time in their raids on the
Reich were not accompanied by
Flying Fortresses.
Thirteen bombers and four fight
ers failed to return from the opera
tons, which included strafing at
tacks on enemy airf1elds by the
escorting American fighters.
Fighters Accompany Bombers.
The Liberators of the United
States 9th Air Force, perhaps $50
strong, were escorted by Thunder
bolt and Mustang fighters of the
9Th and 9th Air Forces, which shot
down five enemy fighters. The
number of German planes shot
down by the bombers has not vet
been tabulated, the communique
said
Diving to strafe enemy airfields
the American fighter planes also
destroyed number of Nazi aircraft
on the ground while other Thun-
derbolts attacked airfields in Bremen
and Hanover and shot up Is loco
motives and damaged tugs and
barges.
Returning crewmen said ma
tority of the formations bombed
through clouds, using overcast
technique.
Today's heavy bomber operations
followed Friday night jabs by the
RATS swift Mosquitoes which
bombed Western Germany without
loss.
Little Fighter Opposition.
The smash into Germany by a
bomber force composed entirely of
Liberators may be sinificant of
things to come. On five days last
month the B-24s few to Europe
with Fortresses, but struck differ
ent targets. On three other days
Liberators were over France while
the Fortresses stayed at their bases
and on one of these occasions the
B-24s boldly struck the Pas-de-
Calais area without escort.
Most of the crewmen on today's
operation said they ran into little
fighter opposition, but anti-aircraft
fire was very heavy over the coast
and fairly heavy over the target,
but comparatively ineffective.
The attack carried into another
month the great western air often
sive which in March saw an eSti-
mated 5000 American heavy bomber
sorties from Britain which dropped
some $4,000 United States tons Of
explosives on Europe
RATS 26th Anniversary.
Meanwhile. the 26th birthday an
nlverSary of the Raj found the
British airmen too busy with war to
celebrate The Raj was formed
April /, 1918, by the merger of the
old Royal Flying Corps and the
Royal Naval Air Service. Although
it finished the last war with a first
line strength of $500 aircraft. the
Raj as such dropped fewer bombs
during its several months opera
tions in the last war than it does
In a single week now.
In message from Washington.
Gen. H. H. Arnold, commander of
the United States Army Air Forces.
told the Raj that together we shall
contribute much to the success of
the grave conflicts that lie ahead"
Gen. Arnold said the devastating
attacks you have made and are
making against the German home
land and the splendid support YOU
are giving to Allied forces through
out the world have brought much
nearer our victory over the common