Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-02

phantly indicated in 1913. But most
OF all the achievement of the 9th
Air Force is due to the intrepid
gallantry of our combat crews and
the heroic drudgery of our mainte-
nance men.
Nazi Losses in Ratio of 4 to 1.
II am immensely proud, and every
one in America should be proud as
we'll, OF what these boys have done"
Maj. Gen. Frederick Anderson
chief OF the 9th Air Force Bomber
Command, earlier in an official re-
port said it was not until mid-March
Of 1943 that the unit could
get as many as 100 heavy bombers
; into the air in single day
whereas now they are able to send
up more than TOO in short order
against a number of targets.
During the year, he said, the 9th
Air Forces manpower doubled and
the total ratio of German air losses
to those of the United States was
to l.
Gen. Anderson revealed that 49,
900 tons of enemy shipping was
sunk September is in a raid on
Nantes Harbor and $4,000 tons sunk
or damaged in the October 8 at
tack on Gdynia and Danzig.
Half Dozen Sub Bases Blasted.
The mounting power of the 9th
Air Force was highlighted further
in the official report by the fact
that the tonnage of bombs dropped
on Nazi-held Europe in December
was about one-quarter of the total
tonnage unloaded on German tar
gets by the unit for the entire
year.
During 1943 the report said the
Americans helped to win the battle
OF the Atlantic by blasting a half
dozen Nazi U-boat bases and proved
the feasibility of high altitude, day
light precision bomb.
Other accomplishments of the
American air unit included the de-
velopment of a powerful and un-
precedented long-range fighter es-
cort system which helped to in
tensify the attacks against Nazi
war industry.
Transformed the Marauder me-
dunn bomber from the ugly duck
ling" criticized in some quarters as
unsafe, to an effective short-range
one-ton bomber with a record of
less than l per cent in losses.
Thunderbolt Proves Self.
And proved that the revolution
airy, heavy PAT Thunderbolt, the
high altitude, long-range fighter, is
better than any plane the Germans
could send up against it.
The pace of 10 raids a month-two
and a half times better than the
number for December, 1942-was at
tanned during only three previous
months and during favorable wealth.
er, showing that the American force
has conquered the seasonal weather
problem as far as flying is con-
cerned. Winter bombing results UNI
doubtedly will be short of clear
weather effectiveness, however.
Twice in one month the Ameri-
cans broke their record for the num-
Der of both heavy bombers and
fighters sent out on one operation,
diSpatching forces estimated at 900
to 300 heavy bombers and nearly as
many fighters.
More than 100 Fields Used.
During the year the heavy bomb
er force grew from little more than
100 planes at four bases to more
than 1000 arrayed among 1OO-odd
fields.
The manifold expansion of opera
tons brought-as Gen. Eaker pre-
dicted-a diminishing casualty rate,
which remained we'll below the OPP
erationally stable per cent.
The weight of bombs dropped for
every bomber lost-although that is
not conclusive evidence of sue
cess-more than doubled during the
year.
The heavy bombers made 95 raids