Evening star., 1944-05-07
38 Fire Firms B|ack|isted by JUS.
In First Crackdown on De Valera;
$50 Yank Bombers Hit Romania
Nozis Reported
Moving Civilians
From Italian Area

By the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
NAPLES, May Ga fleet of per-
haps 750 American Flying Fort
resses and Liberators, heavily
protected by fighters, attacked
five key Romanian communica-
tions centers in daylight today
expanding the Mediterranean
air campaign against Nazi Ro-
mania into big scale offensive
At the same time, the Italiar
theater came more strongly into the
war spotlight with reports to Allied
headquarters that the Germans hao
carried out a mass exodus of italian
civilians from strip 20 miles deer
beyond the 5th Army's main front
in Southern Italy.
An Allied headquarters commen-
tator disclosed this information hao
come from Italian refugees. 1t was
said the area had been made purely
military territory, with those work
ing directly with the Germans be-
ing the only Italians remaining.
Evidence of Nazis' Fears.
These reports-on the first ami
versary of the Allied armies big
drive down the Medjerda Valley in
Tunisia which resulted in the fall
of Tunis on May 7, 1943-was
evidence of the Germans increas-
ing fears that the Allies were pre-
pairing another irresistible push
Earlier in the week, official reports
said heavy, unexplained explosions
were heard from the vicinity of
Formia on the western end of the
front which possibly indicated
enemy destruction of installations
and stores.
In today's attacks on Romania
the American bombers and fighters
battered their way through screens
of enemy interceptors and bombed
f1ve vital rail yards, all on the main
routes from Bucharest over which
the Germans are pouring reinforce
ments and supplies to the Southern
Russian front.
Initial reports said hundreds of
tons OF bombs hit target areas in
the yards at Brasov, 80 miles north
OF Bucharest; Pitesti, 10 miles
northwest Of Bucharest; Craiovah.
l20 milest west of Bucharest: Cam
pima, 20 miles north of Ploesti, and
Turnu SEVERN, at the Iron Gate
on the Danube IS miles northwest
Of Craiova.
First Round the Clock Bombing.
An undisclosed number of enemy
interceptors were destroyed by the
oombers and their escort.
This was the first time Romania
had been subjected to round-the-
CLOCK bombing by a substantial por-
tlon OF the air armadas massed at
Italian bases. Yesterday American
heavles" hit the Ploesti oil refin-
erles and rail yards. Last night
Raj Wellingtons and Halifaxes at
lacked refineries at Campina.
Reconnaissance photographs show
ed an enormous fire raging at
Ploesti after yesterdays attack
Ran yards were battered heavily
ana storage tanks and oil cars were
IN names. Another sharp blow had
oeen struck at Germany's oil supply
Today'S blow at Turnu Seyerin
came while that important rail
ana aircraft center was still reeling
from an attack yesterday.
Ihe raids today and last night
followed up yesterday attacks which
ofoke the Pescara Dam in Italy.
headquarters disclosed that Amer.
lcan-built Kittyhawks and Mus
tangs, piloted by British, Australian
and South Africa airmen, did the
dlVe-bombing job on the Pescara
Dam which sent flood waters roar.
ing down on German communica.
tlons and defense lines. 1t was the
Ilrst announcement of the use OF
Pol Mustangs in this theater.
In It's widespread operations the
Medlterranean air force flew l 96(
offensive flights yesterday, losing Il
l
heavy bombers and eight other air.
craft and destroying II German
planes.
Maj. Gen. John K. Cannon. com
mander of the United States l2tl
Air Force, vividly described the grea
accomplishments of the Allied al
offensive in Italy. He said the Ger
mans had not moved a sinpl.
through train from the Pisa -Rimin
line to the front since March "a, H,
told how the Allies incessant bomb.
ing OF line and rail yards had mini.
mlzed the Germans repair effort.
and created serious bottleneck
Gen. Cannon posed an unusua
military Situation-the air fore,
calling on the ground for support
rather than vice versa.
When that comes, our armies will
make the Hun use up his supplie
and our job will be to prevent hin
from getting more" he said. "Nt
army can operate without supplies