Evening star., 1944-03-08
$4,000 Fire Bombs Dropped
On Berlin in New American Raid:
Industrial Plants Chief Tarqets
u. S. Bombers Hit
Capital Third
Time in Week
BY the Associated Press.

forces Of United States heavy
bombers attacked Berlin today
for the third American attack
in a week against the German
capital.
The Liberator and Fortress forma-
tions bombarded Berlin with more
than 350,000 incendiary bombs and
10000 explosive bombs.
1t was the American heavy bomb
ers' eighth big assault in 10 DAYS,
and come after only one days in
terval since the last heavy attack
on the German capital.
A United States Air Force an
nouncement said:
Strong forces of BIT FLYING
Fortresses and B-24 Liberators of
the 9Th Air Force, escorted by large
formations of AAF and RAF fighters,
attacked industrial targets in the
Berlin district today.
Started Last Friday.
The American daylight aerial
campaign against Berlin started last
Friday when Lightning fighters flew
over the capital. This was followed
up Saturday by the Americans first
bomber attack, by one formation.
Mondays big attack was made by
a force estimated unofficially as
more than $50 bombers.
The German radio, as on Monday,
reported heavy air battles in prog
ress today over Northwestern Ger
many and west of Hanover.
This aerial combat started about
l pm, said the radio, about half an
hour after the American armada
crossed the German frontier.
At midmorning German radio
stations had blacked out to avoid
giving the invaders directional
beams.
The attack kept the Allies round
the-clock bombing campaign going
uninterruptedly after the RATS Sec
ond successive night attack on Nazi
railroad centers in France.
Marauders Attack Holland.
During the day swift American
Marauder medium bombers Joined
in the attack on the continent. f1v-
ing into Holland. They struck un-
specified targets in an area where
many German airfields have been
bombed in the past.
The term Strong force" in the
official announcement indicated that
fewer bombers were out today than
on Monday, when the phrase "very
strong forces" was used, but today's
raiding fleet undoubtedly numbered
several hundred. From 900 to TOO
bombers have flown in recent Amer
lean attacks.
Shortly before pm. noon, East
ern war time) the German radio
acknowledged American bombers
again attempted with strong forces
to reach Berlin
THE execution of this attack was
very nearly perfectly similar to the
one adopted the day before yester-
day." the Berlin radio continued.
"a new big defensive success for
German air defense is expected"
The first group of escorting
Thunderbolt fighters to return re-
ported shooting down q Nazi planes.
A few hours earlier RAF bombers
returned from a heavy attack
against railroad yards at Lemans,
ITO miles southwest of Paris. The
Raj suffered no losses despite an
antiaircraft barrage and force of
night fighters which the Germans
summoned. Flyers saw a great ex-
plosion which lit up the sky, and
one crew saw big building blown
to pieces.
Last nights RAF blow followed
day of scissor attacks from south
and west on targets in France and
Italy.
Coupled with the blow at Lemans.
Raj Mosquito bombers raided
Western Germany for the sixth sue
cessive night. These speedy wood
en- bombers now carry ton of
explosives, putting them in the me-
dium bomber class.
Site of Engine Plants.
Lemans, site of a Renault engine
plant and a section of the Gnome-
Rhone airplane engine works, is in
the center of the eastern half of
France, and is the most convenient
funnel for routing big rail Ship
mentS between the Northern French
coast and the western and south
western stretches. The night be-
fore the RAF hit Trappes, rail GEN.
ter Is miles southwest of Paris.
France was brought under double
attack Yesterday, with lightning
escorted Flying Fortresses from the
United States 18th Air Force strik-
ing at Toulon naval base in the
south, and medium bombers from
Britain raiding Northern France.
LlberatorS attacked Nazi airfieldS
and railway installations near Rome
and Mitchells and Marauders bonn
barded freight yards in Rome in the
sixth Allied raid on that capital.