The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-04-06
Panic Follous Bucharest Bombs

CBy International News Service)
"lndescribab BILE panic" swept Blu
charest today. according to an Is
tanbul dispatch which attributed
the war filters to continuation of
the Allies two-way offensive
against the Balkan satellite states
After yesterdays American hea-
Wy bomber raid on a refinery and
railroad yards in the Ploesu oil
center, Rumanian authorities were
described as unable to maintain or
der. The raid, the first against the
area by t. S. planes Of the Mediter-
ranean air force, was the fourth at
tack in seven days directed against
the enemy's principal Balkan COM
munication lines.
Hamper Supply
The purpose Of the air campaign
was obvious: to hamper German
efforts to supply and reinforce po-
sitions on the southern part of the
eastern front. 1t was in direct sup
port Of Russian mobile units smash
ing into Rumania and massed on
the Carpathian approaches to Hun
gary and CZechosloyakia.
Regarding the advance of the
Red army into Rumania proper, the
latest official communique gave no
details. However. the bulletin was
replete with information concern
ing the action directed against the
key enemy-held Black sea port o.
Odessa.
Converge on Fort
There an estimated 100000 Ger
man troops were threatened with
possible entrapment as powerful
Soviet legions converged on the
port from three sides, after cutting
the last major railroad escape route
out OF the city.
With the fall OF Razdelnaya. 81
miles northwest OF the naval base.
the Odessa garrison faced the need
OF employing none-too.certain
rail-ferry line when unable to stand
longer before the Russian often
siye. This route lies along the
Black Sea coast, under the artil-
lery OF the Soviet fleet, and at one
point calls for ferry service across
the six-mile-wide Dniester River
mouth.
Near Odessa
Frontline dispatches said the
Red army was within ten miles OF
Odessa, and the enemy-cOntrolled
Nichy radio acknowledged that the
Soviet tank and infantry columns
were sweeping toward the Black
sea in a thanking movement which
threatened soon to close an encir.
clement about the port.
Far to the northwest. other Rus
sian troops hacked methodically at
remnants OF Is trapped German
divisions near Skala and beat down
frantic enemy efforts to break out
of the ring Of steel.
The Ploesti raid, according TO an
official communique, accounted for
"more than 40' enemy warplanes.
On the other hand, 12 heavy bomb
ers OF the Mediterranean air force
were missing from the days opera
tons which, In all, included some
LOCO individual sorties.
From British bases, other Allied
warpianes were credited with "ef-
fectiyely' bombing sprawling enc
my aircraft repair plants with Tou-
louise, deep in southern France. An
air ministry communique revealed
that Raj Lancasters flew through
brilliant moonlight to hit their OBJ
jectiyes heavily.
On the Italian ground fronts.
Allied patrols followed ua a 4S-hour
long artillery barrage by probing
Axis positions and inflicting heavy
casualties on the enemy.
In the Pacific, Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur's aIrmen blasted Wewak
and Rabaul with SIG more tons Of
bombs, without encountering any
aerial or ack-ack opposition over
the former enemy base. Adm. Ches-
ter W. Nimitiz' army, navy and
marine filters dropped so tons of
bombs on the last four Jap-held po-
sitions in the Marshall Islands.