Evening star., 1944-10-07
Good Weather Helps
Allied Bombers, Again
Hanlmering Reich
Further Destruction
Piled On in Wake
Of 5000 Flight Day
By the Associated Press.

LONDON, Oct. 7.-Allied bomb
ers today crowded the skies in
good weather over Germany,
piling up new destruction in the
wake of more than 5000 flights
by bombers and fighters yester-
day.
The 9th Air Force and the Raj
sent up more~>than 5000 heavy
bombers in night and day operations
against oil and industrial targets
and airfields with Berlin, Dortmund,
Bremen, Hamburg and Ludwigs-
hafen among the targets.
Incomplete reports indicated the
I'd Tactical Air Force flew $500
sorties and the 9th Air Force flew
another 1900 yesterday in support
of the United States 1st and Sd
Armies.
Bad weather restricted operations
of the Mediterranean Air Force, but
Germans in the Balkans were at
tackled during the night by bombers.
One formation of American planes
tangled with more than 80 Messer-
schmitts over Saarlautern on the Sd
Army front. 1t shot down four of
the enemy at the cost of one Amer
ican plane.
Airmen claimed the destruction
of eight locomotives and 70 cars.
Twenty-six tanks, armored vehicles
and motor transport were reported
damaged or destroyed. Railroads
were cut in % places.
The German radio traced todays
bombers as coming in over Helgoland
Bay and the Brunswick Hanover
area, heading for the Magdeburg-
Dessau region. Another formation,
the Germans said, was over Pom
erania and a third was over Hun
gary approaching the Danube Val
ley early in the afternoon.
Berlin was attacked twice yester-
day. The first attack was in day.
light by Flying Fortresses and Lib
orators which bombed tank as
sembly plant, military and ordnance
depots. and an aircraft engine plant
During the night the Raj was
over the Reich capital in a diver
sionary flight while other planes
were dropping more than 1,500 tons
OF bombs on Dortmund and more
than 1000 tons on Bremen.
The Air Ministry hailed the opera
ton as the beginning of a new
offensive against Germany and said
that from 8 pm. until midnight
waves of bombers, totaling more
than 1900 aircraft, few to thei,
targets.
Crews said both Dortmund and
Bremen were burning fiercely, with
Saarbrucken, attacked the night
before. still ablaze.
Forty bombers we're lost yesterday
IL by the Raj in its night attack
Ten fighters were reported missing
Dortmund, site of large steel fac.
tories and other heavy industry
took on new Importance as q rail-
road junction with reconnaissance
disclosure that the entire 18-mile
stretch OF the DQrtmund-Ems Cana
is dry and that at least 110 barges
are stranded In the canal RAJ
bombers broke down its embank.
mepts September 23.
In other night operations Mosqui-
toe ripped the Amerspoort raj
yards and barges in the Schelde and
zuyder Zee.
Fighters knocked out three enemy
aircraft over the continent, adding
to the toll of 20 enemy planes shot
out of the air yesterday by the 9Th
Air Force and So seaplanes and
three other planes caught at their
bases in the Baltic.
Typhoons and Spitfires poured
rockets into troop concentrations
south of Tilburg and installations ct
Dunkerque, sank q vessel west oi
the Hook of Holland and destroyed
or damaged 81 barges and IS motor
transport vehicles.