Evening star., 1944-04-09
|yank Fighters
Down q Planes
Over Germany
Brunswick, 5 AirfieIds
Hit in Wide Sweep;
Raid Costs 50 Ships

U. S. PATROL MAKES first Anzio
advance in two weeks. Page AS.
INVASION LOSSES put at 10000
in first month by Rep. May.
Page AS.
NEW GIRAUD TALKS slated today
as reports on designations differ.
Page A-9
BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, April 8.-American
aerial fleets totaling about 1,500
planes surged over Germany to-
day, with heavy bombers ripping
two already = battered aircraft
plants at Brunswick and five
airdromeS north of the Ruhr
while fighters shot down 90 Ger
man planes and destroyed and
damaged many others on the
ground.
From all the days operations
which included an attack on the
Belgian rail center of Hasselt and
sweeps by Thunderbolts and Light
nings against airdromes in the
Frankfurt area, "a American bomb
ers and 25 fighters are missing, an
Army communique said.
The airdromes which were at
tackled north of the Ruhr were
Oldenburg, a base for single -engine
German fighters; Rheine, a night
fighter depot; Achmun, an air re-
pairs depot; Quackenbruck, an air
repairs depot, and Handorf, a stor-
age and repair depot.
Nazi Fighters Concentrated.
No fighter opposition was en-
countered over the airdromes, as
the German Air Force concen-
trated its interceptors for a des-
-perate defense of the Brunswick
targets, where the war bulletin said
Flying Fortresses and Liberators
bombed their objectives ''visually
with good results" Returning crew.
men said large fires were started.
Bitter air battles ragged over
Brunswick and along the return
route. Escorting American fighters
there destroyed 81 enemy aircraft.
Thirty of the missing bombers were
lost in the Brunswick operation.
No tabulation yet has been made
on the number of German aircraft
70 fall before the guns of the heavy
bombers. Nearly 1000 Flying Fort
resses, Liberators and Medium Ma
ruders participated in the wide
spread attacks.
Indications that Allied planes
possibly were over Zi-dominated
Europe tonight came from the
Berlin and Budapest radios. The
former reported that "single enemy
raiders are approaching Western
Germany" while the Budapest radio
left the air shortly before II pm.
British double summer time 6 pm,
Eastern War Time) with the warn
ing, nuisance raiders are in the
vicinity"
Feared Berlin Attack.
The announced purpose of the
attack on Brunswick, ITO miles west
|of Berlin, was to disrupt the recon-
Istruction work the Germans had
been doing at the important fighter
reproduction center whose factories
had been damaged in previous raids
this year
The Nazis probably feared the
heavy bombers were heading for
Berlin, which is one possible reason
why they put up such a stubborn
defense over Brunswick.
The German radio asserted the
Americans suffered "one of their
heaviest defeats" declaring the
bombers were trying to attack Ber-
! lin.
Long before the raiders returned
to Britain, the Germans were boast
ing of great victories, saying the
American formations were forced to
jettiSon their bombs and turn home
ward in disorder, abandoning a plan
to raid the German capital
The German fighters fought fur
lously, the Americans said. Pilots
from one fighter base shot six Nazis
DhTnC