Evening star., 1944-05-27
j. ). bombers
Smash Naziis in
2-Way Raids
a German Railway
Cities and French
Targets Blasted
BY the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, May 27.-American
heavy bomber armadas smashed
into Hitler's Europe simulta-
neously from Britain and Italy
today, bombing four German
rail centers and four other rail
yards, two aircraft production
centers and two airdromes in
France.
Up to 1000 Liberators and Flying
Fortresses struck across the Chan
mel from British bases, pounding the
German rail centers of Karlsruhe,
Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Saar-
brucken and aircraft plants in the
French cities of Metz and Stras-
bourg.
simultaneously, other powerful
formations swung over the Medi-
terranean, battering two rail yards
at Marseille, the rail center of Mines
in the Rhone Valley and Avignon,
40 miles from the mouth of the
Rhone Enemy airdromes at Salon,
20 miles northwest of Marseille, and
at Montpelier er-Aimargues, Is miles
southwest of Mines, also were
pounded by the Italy-based bombers.
Slight Fighter Opposition.
Britain based bombers and their
escorts, which raised the total force
striking from the west to approxi-
mately 1000 American planes, ap-
parently encountered only slight
fighter opposition, the Berlin radio
claiming that unfavorable weather
hindered defense efforts.
Rounding out the powerful day.
light thrusts, other ftaly-based
heavy bombers raided the Yugoslav
port of Razanik, 10 miles north OF
cara, and Raj Mitchells made day
light sweeps over the continent from
Britain in support Of the poundings
Of Germany and France.
Britain-based heavy craft were
grounded yesterday because OF
weather conditions, but the Allies
kept the day-night assault thunder.
ing with attacks on Europe by
lighter craft from Britain and with
Italy based four -engined bombers
striking Southern French rail cen.
ters.
Weather Hampers Defenders.
1t was the second assault in a lit.
tie more than II hours on the chem
ical center of Ludwigshafen, hit last
night by Raj Mosquitoes which also
pounded the Rothe Erde rail yards
at Aachen.
The Berlin radio said the Rhine
land cities of karlsruhe and Mann
helm had been hit with Substantial
quantities" of explosives and incen-
diaries. It added that weather con-
ditions had kept all but a few OF
Germany's fighter interceptors from
making contact with the American
bomber formations and their escorts
London observers said that Allied
formations crossed the Channel fol
three hours during the morning.
Two Raj planes failed to return
from the night operations, which
included mine laying in enemy
waters, as well as the attack on the
two German cities.
The Mosquitoes, in the 18th night
excursion this month, struck al
Ludwigshafen, in Southwestern
Germany, for the fourth time ir
May, and at Aachen ripped up one
OF the two railroad yards attacked
by RAF heavy bombers in night
attacks Wednesday. Aachen is neal
the junction of the Netherlands
Belgian and German borders.
AS the mine laying program II
Northern European waters progressed
it was announced in Naples tha
RAF Liberators and Wellington.
had completed new series of min.
ing operations covering hundreds O.
miles of the Danube River, one O,
the Nazis' principal military water.
ways.
Waterways More Important,
Canals and rivers-always a valu.
able means of transportation ir
Europe-are assuming even greater
Importance as Allied bomber.
methodically smash the railroad
system.
The RAF has been mining north.
ern coastal lanes and many inlane
waterways successfully since 1910
Now it is completing an ambition.
program along the Danube which
has been carrying a great deal of OF
traffic from Romania.
While weather halted heavy aeria
offensive operations from Britain
yesterday, medium bombers, attach
bombers and fighter bombers con.
Quoted sweeps over France.
In the operations from Britain
more than 300 American medium
Marauders raced 40 miles southwes
of Paris, hitting an airfeld nea,
Chartres and bridges in Northern
France.
RAF aircraft of the coastal com.
mand and the feet air arm hav,
been firing rockets at the German
both on land and sea since las
June with considerable success, i
was disclosed after a United State,
Navy announcement in washington
that American planes hunting Naz
submarines were now equipped with
long-range rocket guns.
Beaufighters, Hurricanes, Ty,
phoons and SWordfish are fittec
with projectors carrying eigh
rockets. four under each wing, anc
are employing them against U-boats
shipping and land targets such a.
bridges, gun emplacements, wireles.
stations and military buildings.