The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-26
YankBonabers|
Destroy6,000
Nazi Vehicles
Targets Before Montgom.
ery's Armies Heavily
Blasted

MOSQUITOES and American night
prowling planes joined in hammer
ing Germany last night after Ger
man strongpoints and reinforce
ment centers in front of Field Mar
shall Montgomery's drive north of
the Ruhr were pulverized in day.
light by thousands of Allied planes.
The Mosquitoes hit Berlin for the
Saith consecutive night.
Striking from bases in England
and the continent, American and
British planes flew more than $500
sorties from dawn to dusk yester-
day in support of the ground often
sve and knocked out 5000 enemy
vehicles of all types.
Flying Fortresses and Liberators
Of the 1taly-based U. S. 18th Air
Force struck German air fields
near Prague from which the Ger
mans have been operating against
Russian troops.
British planes also ranged against
enemy shipping yesterday and Fri
day night, the Air Ministry announ-
cling effective attacks Friday night
on six U-boats, IL freighters and
three armed escorts in the western
Baltic and in Dutch and Norwegian
waters. Eight Of the ships received
direct hits.
Mosquitoes of the Coastal Com
mand followed these forays with
offensive patrols in Norwegian
waters yesterday.
One Mosquito formation was met
by enemy fighters, three OF which
were shot down by escorting Mus
tangs.
Medium bombers, flying in close
support of the Allied ground often
sives, claimed to have knocked out
40 guns in a 42-gun concentration
which had been Smelling the Allied
crossings yesterday.
The 10Th Tactical Air Command,
in its biggest day of operations,
flew TAI sorties yesterday, mostly
in support of the U. S. Ninth Army S
Rhine crossing. But this command
also hit seven rail yards north OF
the Ruhr, including switch yards at
Hanover.
The Ninth Air Force flew 2,734
Sorties and lost IA planes while
destroying 10 German planes, 674
motor vehicles, 875 railcars, 11e
tanks and armored vehicles.
A strong force of Britain-based
Raj Lancasters and Halifaxes
with fighter contemporaries
ly 300 planes in all-smashed Han
mover, Osnabruck and Muenster,
main enemy rail centers ahead OF
the advancing British and Ameri-
cans. Well over 5000 tons of bombs
were dropped. Pilots reported all
three cities were left in flames.
Two hundred and fifty U. S.
Eighth Air Force Liberators escort
ed by an equal number of fighters
attacked three underground oil stor-
AOPOtS at Ll1ltICll, ~ l1ll4S =
northeast of Brunswick; Buchen, Is
miles east of Hamburg, and Hit
zacker, so miles southeast of Ham.
burg.
The task force was challenged by
10 German jet-propelled planes and
lighter pilots shot down four Of
them. Several got through and shot
down six of the attacking bombers
and one fighter.
Upwards of 1900 other Eighth
Air Force heavies blasted 16 scat
tered enemy air fields climaxine
four-day campaign during which
at least Is different German air
oromes, most of the jet bases, have
been attacked.
Continent-based Ninth Air Forces
medium bombers and fighter-bomb'
ers were out with the dawn attack
Ing German defenses and supply
routes and by noon had made 1,10(
tf!ps with loss of four planes.
The incessant mauling of Ger
man air fields in northwestern Ger
many kept the Luftwaffe in thu
background both before, during ane
alter the Allied crossing OF thu
rhine north of the Ruhr.
yesterday, with more than 10, OO'
Allied planes darkening the skle'
over northwestern Germany, tota
Allied losses were IS planes includ
ing % heavy bombers.
The 18th Air Force in its recort
bombing flight to the Berlin are
nom Italian bases knocked down L
German jet planes, the larges
Angle-day bag of these high-spee'
Continued on Pare Five: Col, 3