Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-05-14
War Review
Tense Europe Waits
for Invasion News
By Howard p. Bailey.

grand campaign to defeat Hitler at
home has been launched.
The air attack which has been
unprecedented in its ferocity and
unbroken series of raids yesterday
swept into its fifth week of day-and-
night assault with the pattern of
the bombing indicating that a crisis
is close at hand.
During the past week, transporta-
ton lines and synthetic oil reflneries
were the special targets, the results
definitely limiting the German gen.
erals in their ability to move re-
serves and supplies to points of in
vasion which may show signs of a
break.
The long campaign against the
railroads, in many instances limited
to Mosquito attacks on locomotives.
thousands of which have been badly
damaged If not destroyed, reached
high-water mark last week in
series of smashing raids on railroad
centers vital to the quick shifting of
troops and supplies.
Further complicating the defense
plans of the Nazis have been the
raids on the Ploesti oil fields in
Romania and Fridays daylight raids
on synthetic oil plants in the Leip-
zig area and in Czechoslovakia. The
Friday raid precipitated what was
described as the most bitter air
battle of the war, with planes ex-
ploding all over the skies as the
Nazis sought desperately to defend
the vital Oil and gasoline source.
Nearly 1000 bornbers and escorts
were opposed by 1000 Nazi fighters
which rose to intercept and when
the raid was over, ~ bombers and
10 fighters were down but the Nazis
paid with $50 of their planes. Be-
hind the rest of the raiders as they
turned for home were great roaring
fires and clouds of dense black smoke
billowing skyward in testimony to
the effectiveness of the attack.
Early in the week, 1t. Gen. Eaker
had declared that the raids on the
Romanian fields and on the trans
portation lines leading to Germany
had reduced by at least rs per cent
the flow of gasoline to fuel-starved
Germany.
Again as in recent weeks the air
campaign was a coordination of
raids from England and from Italy
which struck simultaneously and in
great force at the bottlenecks of
transportation.
The week started with a heavy
raid on Berlin and another on
Brunswick, 125 miles away, Sunday,
in which more than 1000 planes took
part. The first really stiff fighter
opposition since April 29th was met
by the planes hammering Brunswick
and the losses on both sides were
heavy, the United States air force
losing 40 and the Germans 119
planes. Returning flyers from Berlin
declared that targets are becoming
fewer and fewer, yetsMonday a fresh
armada was back looking for those
few targets. Even the Nazis admit
that Berlin has been condemned to
death.
10000 Tons Dropped.
The raids Sunday and Sunday
night brought to 5000 the number of
planes which raided Axis territory
during a 24-hour period, during
which 10000 tons of bombs were
dropped.
The Raj raids Sunday night hit
largely at the invasion coast and
secondary defense positions. Mines
were Sowed freely in the coastal
waters to limit even that path for
moving men and supplies by the
enemy.
Monday Berlin and Brunswick
were raided again by daylight and
at night $50 British planes struck
the land and seaplane bases at Brest
as well as other targets. Tuesday
1000 American planes bombed seven
alrf1elds and three railroad yards.
tremendous explosions across the
Channel rocked buildings in the
Folkestone area, indicating the de-
structlon of ammunition dumps.
Tuesday night British bombers
dropped 4,000-pound block-busters
on Berlin and destroyed an airplane
plant near Paris. Italian-based
oomoers set a ball-bearing plant at
Annecy near the French-Italian
border ablaze.
Wednesday and Thursday atten-
ton was largely centered both dav
and night on the rail yards of West
ern Germany, France, Belgium and
Luxembourg. Folkestone on Thurs
day heard rumblings as heavy as
tuesdays from across the Channel,
1talian-based planes attacked the
aircraft factory at Wiener Neustadt
near Vienna and Budapest was
rather heavily bombed. Rail faciu-
ties in Northern Italy were badly
mauled.
Friday came the raids on the svn-
thetic oil plants and Friday night a
tremendously effective raid on
Boulogne when apparently a great
store of explosives was hit. In fact,
one explosion occurred before the
planes reached their target. AS
one flyer described it, the entire sky
was lit by huge flash of light
While the bombers were still 10 miles
away and then 10 seconds later
everything was obscured by cloud
OF black smoke. A similarly violent
blast followed the dropping of the
bomb loads.
Drive Opens i'm Italy.
The long quiescent central front
In Italy burst into flaming action
Friday noon when secretly shifted
units of the British 9th Army sud-
denly attacked in the Casino area
after terrific bombing accompanied
by heavy Smelling of German posi-
tons. Wedges were quickly driven
into the Gustave line, some penetra-
tons extending miles deep
Backed by 1000 planes and 5000
big guns, both the British 9Th and
the American 5th Army swung into
action in what Berlin Historically
announced was the forerunner of
the invasion from the west with
D-day perhaps tomorrow.
At any rate 1t was a full-scale
offensive the objective of which is