Evening star., 1944-12-24
Yank Flyers Return
10 Fronf-Line Action
As Weather Clears
ny the Associated Press.


LONDON, Sunday, Dec. "a
American flyers dealt powerful
blows at the German Air Force yes.
erday when they shot down at least
III enemy planes while flying 4,500
lorties in support of United States
ground forces slashing at the flanks
of Marshal Karl Won Rundstedt's
offensive.
"a report to Allied headquar-
ters in Paris said incomplete
figures showed a total of 178
enemy planes had been de-
stroyed)
Roaring off British bases under
sunny skies. more than 400 Liber-
stors and Flying Fortresses of the
United States 9th Air Force downed
six Nazi interceptors, and their
escort of more than TOO fighters
picked off II enemy planes. Mean
while, continent-based fighter
bombers and medium bombers of
the United States 9th Air Force
knocked down "a more.
Three Heavy Bombers Lost.
Fighting some of the fiercest air
battles of the war, the 9th Air
Force announced its losses as three
heavy bombers and 13 fighters.
(The 9th Air Force lost IA
fighter -bombers in these opera
tions, Supreme Headquarters an
nounced.)
Nearly 100 Raj Mosquitoes con-
tinued the air assault on Marshal
Won Rundstedt's rear supply bases
last night by dropping tWo-ton
bombs on rail routes northeast of
Bonn and east of Coblenz. These
targets are on the main rail lines
from Central Germany to the sec
tors where the Germans have
pushed westward.
German fighters rose by the hum
dreds to try to protect their ground
columns and supply lines, and sky
battles swirled over Belgium, Lux
embourg and Germany.
RAF LancasterS flew out again
yesterday and battered targets in
the Rhineland Their escorting Mus
tangs and Spitfires strafed ground
targets and shot down one German
plane.
Nazis Fight Frantically.
The Luftwaffe fought frantically
against the American airmen who
had been waiting anxiously three
days for clearing weather to lend
a hand to the hard pressed ground
forces on the Western Front.
The Americans carried the brunt
Of the air attacks. more than 400
heavy bombers hitting railyards near
TTier and just west of Mannheim
and rail functions along the front
between Coblentz and the Belgian
border, while rocket-f1ring fighter
bombers gave escort and struck at
the German spearheads.
Yesterdays attacks were officially
described in an 9Th Air Force COM
munique as designed to disrupt the
movement of German troops and
material to sectors where the en-
emy offensive has reached into Bel
GUM and Luxembourg"
One Group Bags IS Planes.
The ace 56th United States Thun-
derbolt group, commanded by Col.
Dave Schilling, Traverse City, Mich,
alone tangled with up to $50 Ger
man fighters, shooting down 35 to
raise its al-time record for planes
destroyed to 766. OF this toll ITS
have been destroyed on the ground.
The Germans used their best
pilots who attacked in waves of 40
to so planes. For the most part the
Germans kept away from the bomb
ers and attempted only to keep the
feet American fighters away from
German invasion columns.
German fax was only moderate.
returning pilots said.
Eagerness to get at Marshal Won
Rundsted's army was prevalent at
air force headquarters. Given good
weather, the airmen believed that
"few more cracks" at the Germans
could put enough strain on the
enemys supply lines to turn the
tide.