The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-04-28
The War On
Many Fronts
BY LOUIS F. KEEMLE
UNITED Press War Editor


Allied war planes maintained the
terrific pace Of the about air Of
fensive on the continent today while
Europe awaited with growing ten
sion the invasion which 1t portends.
Great Britain, where the powerful
Allied forces are massed for the as
sault, entered formally on the pre-
invasion quarantine period which
makes the islands In effect q closed
military reservation until the danger
OF O leakage Of information has
passed.
The Russian ront which is ex-
pected to blaze into action when the
Allies land In the west, remained
in the indeterminate phase between
bilg offenSives, although there was
heavy fighting on the Romanian
part of the front.
A Moscow communique reported
that Russian artillery broke an
enemy concentration massing for
attack and that troops then adj
vanced to seize several strong posi-
tons. There still was no conf1rma-
ton, however, Of enemy reports Of
a general Russian offensive in the
Iasi area Of Romania or along the
lower Dnester.
18th Day
The air offensive went into its
18th day Of unparalleled weight Of
attacks as waves Of heavy, medium
and light bombers and fighters
crossed the chanenl to attack air
fields, communications centers and
other targets in the coasta larea and
deep into France. Medium bombers
and fighters attacked various objec-
tives In northern France and Amer.
lean heavies bombed the airdrome
at Avord, 1870 miles south Of Paris.
The operations followed heavy
night assaults by the Raj on Ger
many, France and Belgium. The air.
craft center Of F'riedrichshafen in
southern Germany bore the brunt
of the assault and was left in flames.
More than 1000 Raj bombers took
part III the attacks. The industrial
city Of Stuttgart was hit, as were
railway yards In Belgium and
northern France.
In both the day and night opera
tions, German fighter opposition
again was negligible. 1t was as
sumed that desire to have strength
for the invasion kept the Luftwaffe
grounded, since the weather was
suitable for interrogation, at least
during the night.
statistically, nearly 5000 Allied
planes took part In the operations
during the "a hours ending early
today, dropping probably between
1000 and 10000 tons Of bombs
1t figured out at nearly 500 tons
All hour, or eight minute.
Mediterranean
Air operations In the Mediterra-
mean theatcr, which have been al
most continuous against German
supply lines In Italy and the Bal
kans, were interrupted by bad
weather which grounded most Of the
Allied air forces for the second suc-
cessive day. Only patrol activity on
n fairly heavy scale, was reported on
the ground fronts.
In the Pacific, American forces
completed their conquest Of the Hol-
landia area and It's three Japanese
airfelds on northern New Guinea,
assuring bases for extension Of Gen.
Douglas MacArthur's march towards
the Philippines, 1900 miles away.
The march was eSXpected to be
accelerated by the complete CO.
ordination Of campaign which was
worked out by Macarthur and Ad-
miral Chester w. NimitZ, naval
commander in the Pacific area in
their first meeting to discuss "fu-
ture operations"
The bombing campaign meantime
continued in Dutch New Guinea far
to the west Of Hollandia, and in the
Pacific islands, especially Truk and
the Carolines.
British frees in northwestern
India beat the Japanese farther back
in the hills around Kohiina and
Chinese troops in Burma made
progress in the Mogaung valley
area.