Evening star., 1944-04-21

Nazl rail- centerS last night,
the Air Ministry announced
today.
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, April 21.-The Raj
threw the crushing weight o1
1,100 aircraft into an attack on
Cologne, German anti-invasion
transport hub, and three other
rail targets in France and Bel
gium last night with massive
bomb load of perhaps 4,480 short
tons.
Only 16 bombers were lost in the
tremendous night operations, in
cluding a Mosquito raid on Berlin,
which quickly followed yesterdays
dusk attack on Adolf Hitler's Allan
tic Wall by a fleet Of 750 to 1000
Flying FortreSses.
An Air Ministry communique said
q great weight of bombs was dropped
In the four-ply assault, suggesting
that it might have exceeded the
4,480 tons deposited on French rail
targets by 1,000-bomber feet Tues
day night when the Raj marked UP
q record up to that time in bomb
tonnage.
Marauders Continue Attacks.
In less than 70 hours Allied air
invasion forces in Britain had sent
over 5000 planes against the Euro
pean fortress to drop close to $4,000
tons Of explosives on rail functions
which tie the invasion coast with
the Reich, defending airfields, plane
factories and coastal defense in
stallations in an unprecedented pat
tern of destruction obviously de-
signed to flatten q path for Gen.
Dwight d. Eisenhower's troops.
This pattern was continued to-
day as bomber formations, including
American Marauders and Havocs
with Spitfire escort hammered mill
tary objectives In Northern France.
Targets in France were hit with
$500 tons of explosives by the
Americans yesterday.
The German radio said major
U. s. A. bomber formations were
over Southeastern Europe at noon
today. indicating the 18th Air Force
was striking from Italy. The broad
cast said bombs were dropped at
several places in Serbia and South
ern Rornania.
In addition to Cologne, rail tar
gets hit in the Raj assault last
night were Ottignies, is miles south
east of Brussels, Lens in the Pas
de-Calais area of France, and La
Chapelle on the outskirts of Paris
where q ring of rail functions had
been attacked in recent raids.
In addition to these strikes, the
RATS feet of minelayers also went
out.
Cologne Bombed Through Clouds.
Beaufighters of the costal COM
mand also made a foray against
shipping off the Dutch coast, hit
ting one large escort vessel with a
torpedo and damaging two smaller
ones.
Although Cologne was bombed
through clouds with the aid of both
ground and sky markers dropped by
pathfinders, the communique said
the clusters of bombs were well
punched.
Cologne was riddled by Britain's
first 1000 bomber assault on May
80, 1912, but the city still is Ger
many's third largest and the Air
Ministry explained that its railways
now largely repaired, were still vital
to the German war effort.
Its industries have been reduced
to comparative impotence, however
The attack on Cologne was de-
scribed as very heavy Returning
Lancaster crewmen said the bomb
ing was well concentrated and they
could see the glow of fires 200 miles
away.
Paris Suburbs Blasted.
The German controlled Paris
radio said Paris and its suburbs
center Of a vast railway network
which has been hit repeatedly by
the Raj this month-had been
bombed again and declared that
casualties were high. The raid was
said to have lasted from midnight
until 2 am.
The northern suburbs were par
ticularly hard hit and several quar-
ters were razed, the broadcast said
1t added that delayed-action bombs
were hampering rescue work.
The Raj night operations fol-
lowed day of great activity by
American airnen, during which a
feet of 750 to 1000 Flying Fortresses
dumped approximately $500 tons of
explosives on German military in
stallations in Northern France.
This assault, carried out Just be.
fore sunset, climaxed the greatest
daylight air blows ever delivered
against enemy occupied territory
and apparently caught the German.
by surprise. Returning bomber crew.
reported no German fighter opposi.
ton, although considerable anti-air.
craft fire was encountered.
SNhAC W o. DuuUeFS L0SL.
The raiders were escorted b,
American fighter planes, which were
credited with destroying four enem,
aircraft and shooting up others or
the ground. American losses, a com.
munique said, were nine heavy
bonbers.
1t was the third successive day
that the 9th Air Force had sent ar
armada of almost 1000 bombers ane
fighters over Western Europe ane
brought to approximately 5000 the
total number of sorties flown BY
Allied planes in that time.
American medium Marauders also
struck at targets in France twice
yesterday. More than $50 of the
twfn-engined craft dropped approx
niately 800 tons of bombs on North
ern France early in the afternoon
and then returned just before dark
with A-20 Havocs and hammered
other objectives.