Evening star., 1944-08-08
u. 5. Heavy Bombers
Strike New Blow al
Nazis Below Cden
Attack Follows RAF
Blows at Night in
Support Of Troops
Fy the Associated Press


LONDON, Aug. "a thousand
American heavy bombers struck
a second tremendous blow today
at the hinge in German lines be-
low Caen and ranged widely
over France attacking air fields
and f1ying-bomb installations.
An estimated 1900 tons of bombs
were dropped on German lines be-
fore the advancing Canadian 1st
Army in the same area pulverized
last night by 1000 British heavy
bombers. About 600 Flying Fort
resses and Liberators participated
IN this action.
Some 400 others beat up airfelds
at Romilly Sur Seine, 55 miles
northwest of Paris, and at lie
Perthe, northwest of Romilly.
They also bombed the platforms
from which robot bombs are hurled
at England.
Up to $50 Mustang. Lightning and
Thunderbolt fighters escorted the
American bombers.
Paris Area Also Attacked.
The entire force of 1000 Ameri-
can heavy bombers originally was
allocated to support the Canadian
and British troops below Caen. but
the Army command advised the Air
Forces at the last minute that 600
would be enough to do the trick.
Thus 400 were diverted to other OBJ
jectiveS.
Medium and light bombers at
tackled targets north and south of
Paris, chiefly railroads and other
transport facilities.
With air power to spare, United
States 9th Air Force bombers and
fighters from Britain participated in
shuttle operations over Poland and
Romania, using Russian and Italian
bases.
A group which few to Russia Sun
day, bombing an aircraft factory
northeast of the Polish Corridor
port of Gdynia, returned to the air
yesterday and bombed a synthetic
oil refinery 20 miles west of Krakow
in Poland at Tresbinia.
Another group of escorted Fort
resses from Britain bombed two Ro-
Manian airfields 40 miles northwest
of Ploesti and then landed on Italian
bases. The fields were at Buzac and
ZiliStrea
Night Operation Aids Troops.
The attack last night bv the
RATS Lancasters constituted their
first operation in darkness in close
support of ground forces.
In the hour before midnight, the
big bombers dumped an estimated
6,700 tons of explosives Oh enemy
fortified points in the area Of May,
Sur-Orne and Tilly La Campagne
on both sides of the Caen-Falaise
road.
The midnight bombardment formed
one of three separate phases in
aerial support given Gen. Eisen-
hower's advancing armies.
1853 Tanks Knocked Out.
The other two phases, in which
Allied airmen dealt hard blows to
German armor, transport and sup
ply, were:
l. British rocket-firing Typhoons
and fighter -bombers teamed with
American fighter bombers and
knocked out at least 1853 tanks in
repeated blows against a counter
attack on the American Avranches
corridor.
2. American heavy bombers, fight
ers and fighter -bombers ranged
over France from end to end,
smashing German transport routes,
supply centers.
In the Avranches sector the Brit
ish I'd Tactical Air Force DESTROYED
81 tanks and damaged 81. The
United States 9th Air Force de-
stroyed 26 and damaged a large
number.
All operations over France yes
terday and last night totaled more
than 1000 offensive sorties.
Transportation Blasted.
Great destruction was created
close behind the German lines as
bombers and fighters attacked 10
major transportation targets and II
major fuel dumps. Fighter -bombers
(See AERIAL, Page A-4.)