The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-09

blast and gun the key points of Qualifications making up the Ger mans still untested Atlantic wall.
 Veteran coastal observers who have watched more than four years of air war sway back and forth over the channel said they never had seen aerial fleets the size of those roaring overhead hour after hour during the day.
 The 1000 or SO Fortresses and Lberators setting the pace of the daylight attack were believed to have dropped more than 1000 tons of explosive son seven German air. dromes and three rail centers. The targets were the capital city of Lux embourg, Lege, St. Trond, and F7orennes in Belgium, and Thion- vile, St. D4zier, Laon-C -Couvron, La on-Thies and Juvincourt in France and Belgium. Mitchells and Bostons of the British tactical air force, followed, striking at the Va lenciennes rail hub.
 The potentially record lombard ment was carried out on the 2Srd straight day of operations by AL lied planes based in Britain against the defenses of western Europe. Italy-based Allied bombers attacked the Balkans on the two days before the unbroken campaign from Brit ain began.
 The daylight assault followed close on the heels of heavy RAF night blow at the French invasion coast, Belgian railway yards, the German railway junction of Osna- bruck and an unidentified objec- tive in the industrial Ruhr at a cost of 10 planes.
 Though the American air com mand frequently has employed sim liar sized fleets for raids on Berlin and other targets in Germany, probably never before has 1t sent nearly 1000 heavy bombers and fighters against occupied territory.
 The devastating attacks carried the Allied campaign to knock out Germany's invasion defense com- munications and air bases in ad- vance of landing operations anoth- CT step forward.
 More than 1000 tons of block busters and fire bombs were be- lieved to have been dropped by the Fortresses and LiberatorS on: Railway yards - Lege, Belgium; Thionville. France; Luxembourg city, Luxembourg.
 Airdromes-St. Trond and Flor rennes, Belgium; Thionville, St.. Dizier, Laon- -Couvron, Laon-Thies and Juvincourt, France.
 All seven targets lie in the tri- angle formed by northern France, Belgium and Luxembourg SO tm- portant to the defense of the chan mel coast, which lies close to in- vasion armies in Britain.
 Crews participating in the attacks on the Tionville and Luxembourg railway yards said they met no aerial opposition and only moderate anti aircraft fire. One pilot called the flight 6 Sunday afternoon drive"
 Visibility was hampered only slightly by a thin ground haze and the crews saw their bombs land among strings of railway cars and railway installations.
 T saw pieces of locomotives and the Toundhouse at Thionyille fly 900 feet through the air Into the river" list It. Elmer Young of Roachdale. Ind, eo-pilot Of . Fort TeEs, said.
 Some LibeFator crews attaching other targets reported Q few enemy timidly approached their but shied off when at- tackled by eseoFting fighters.
 German bFoadeastS said Allied bomber and fighter formations penetrated southwest Germany, but thls was not confirmed immediately.
 seo E,embeFg
 The RAF sent some 800 or more uT.anglned bomheFa against wegt-