Evening star., 1944-06-02
u. ). Air Force
Gives West Wall
Heaviest Blow
Other Planes From
Italy Hit Railway
Yards in Hungary
By the Associated Press.

American heavy bombers and
fighters struck the heaviest sim
gle blow yet at the French in
vasion coast today and another
great armada Of 500 to 750
Ifour-engined planes from Italy
bombed five railway yards in
Hungary and Pennsylvania.
Mediterranean air force head
quarters reported good results in
the assaults on Miskolc, Szolnok and
Szeged in Eastern Hungary and on
Clug and Simeria in Transylvania,
the mountainous Romanian prov
ince which Germany ceded to Hun
gary in 1910.
The Mediterranean strikes were
in direct tactical support of the Rus
sian armies massing in the Carpa-
THAN slopes. German troops and
material had been funneled to the
front over lines passing through the
five tangled yards.
Pas-de- Calais Blasted.
The Britain-ba planes struck
the Pas-de-Calais department of
France and reported no sign of Ger
man fighter opposition.
Perhaps 5000 tons of explosives
were unloosed on the French fortifi-
cations, with the bombers able to
carry maximum loads, due to the
short trips involved.
Before dawn, Allied flyers struck
over 1000 miles of airways from
Scandinavia to France and from
Hungary to Crete.
The Pas-de-C Calais section. rrob-
ably the most intensively bombed
area in the world for it's size, is a
scant Is miles across the Channel
from England, where Gen. Dwight
Eisenhower's invasion armies are
massed and eager. The department
extends 80 miles into the French
interior and along 35 miles of the
coast and contains such familiar
points as Calais, the World War
debarkation port of Boulogne, the
resort town of LIE Touquet and
Cape Griz Nez, terminal for Chan
mel swims.
Rail Yards Attacked.
Raj heavy bombers concentrated
on Southwest French rail wards at
Saumur, $50 miles from Paris. and
the French coast last night. Medi-
terranean forces attacked Hunga-
rian yards 80 miles east of Budapest
at Szolnok. Mosquitoes bombed a
target in Denmark and the Ger
mans reported an air attack which
damaged a convoy off the West
Norwegian coast. Middle East
bombers attacked ports on the big
Greek island of Crete. Enemv waters
were mined.
The daylight bombers left con-
Verglng trails of vapor over the 90
mile Channel and shortly after
ward rumble of explosions echoed
back to England. More formations
went out around noon, including a
big force of fighters which circled
around Boulogne.
A Cairo communique said an i'm
portant German convoy was at
lacked in the Central Aegean Sea
north OF Crete yesterday and that
1our ships were left burning and
others were damaged. Two DESTROY
ers among the eight escort vessels
were declared damaged.
Three Nazi Planes Downed.
In offensive sweeps into France
and Germany late yesterday Raj
and RCAF fighters shot down three
German planes while three planes
IN the attacking force were lost.
The Vlchy radio said 80 persons
were killed in Wednesday nights at
tack on Saumur. The Vichy radio
also said AZ persons were killed in
an attack last night on the north
west coast of France-possibly an
unspecifled military objective re-
ferred to in the British Air Ministry
communique.
There were no reports of German
invasion snoop' planes over Eng
land last night.
Last nights operation followed
daylight assaults on military objec-
yves IN Northern France yesterday
by American Marauders escorted by
Thunderbolts.
Saumur Bombing Concentrated.
A Lancaster pilot returning from
the attack last night on Saumur
said the bombing was concentrated
Another pilot declared the smoke
was SO thick that fresh target mark
ers had to be dropped 20 minutes
after the bombing started