Evening star., 1945-03-18
1000 u. ). Raiders
Blast Reich Targets
In FouIest Weather
BY the Associated Press.

LONDON, Mar. 17.-More than
1000 American bombers and fighters
roared over Germany today in
weather described as the worst Of
the winter, raining bombs by in
strument on five key rail commu-
nications and oil plants in the 33d
day of the nonstop aerial assault.
I The RAF joined in the daylight
attack today and Mosquito bombers
attacked Berlin again tonight, the
26th consecutive night the Reich
capital has been bombed. Friday
night the Raj unloosed 1000
plane assault on Germany but
there was no immediate indication
of the strength of the forces rang
ing over the Reich tonight.
More than 1900 heavy bombers
and $50 fighters of the United
States 9th Air Force split into five
groups over Germany today. strik-
ing synthetic oil refineries at Bohlen
on the southern outskirts of Leip-
zig, and Rutland, so miles north of
Dresden; benzol plants at Moblis,
also near Leipzig: large railyard
at Muenster, and a tank factory
at Hanover.
War" Towns Struck.
Bohlen and Moblis are war boom"
towns which have sprung up around
the reflneries and benzol plants
supplying the German war machine.
Clouds covered most of Germany,
making instrument sighting neces-
sary. There was no indication of
serious Luftwaffe opposition.
I'VE expected some bad weather
but what we ran into was worse
than anything / saw this winter"
said Maj Charles V. Bordener of
Stephenville. Tex, who led the at
tack on Bohlen.
Because of severe flying con-
ditions, some bombers landed in
France, air force headquarters said,
making it impossible to tabulate i'm
mediately the number of planes
missing from the attacks. Losses,
however, were expected to be small.
Raj Spitfire bombers kept re-
lentless attacks on va rocket sites
and feeder railway lines in Holland
as other British bombers joined in
the hammering of German oil sup
plies. s--.-
Benzol Plants Attacked.
The Raj daylight attack was
made on two small benzol plants in
the middle Ruhr, one of them near
Dortmund and the other at the
crossroad town of Huls, 10 miles
northeast of Recklinhauen.
Ninth Air Force fighter and me-
dium bombers supported the Sd
and 7th Armies in the Moselle-
Rhine triangle south of Coblenz
by blasting road functions behind
the Nazi lines and straf1ng infantry
and motorized columns.
In the night attack. which the
Air Ministry said was aimed Ito
destroy what remains of the Ger
man war industry" 1000 Raj
planes massed against Nuremberg,
war plant center and rail hub with
trunk lines running to all fronts,
and Wuerzburg, Bavarian city with
a large number of engineering and
textile plants IS miles northwest of
Nuremberg.
The Air Ministry said 80 RAF
bombers were lost in the operation.
Meanwhile, the Air Ministry re-
ported that its 11-ton bomb, which
made its debut Thursday night
against the double viaduct at Biele-
field, had been more effective than
at first believed.
Three Spans Destroyed.
With three spans of one of them
destroyed in an earlier raid, the
ministry said now both viaducts
had been wrecked over a length
of more than 100 yards-nearly one
third the overall length of the
structure"
= Reconnaissance photographs show
ed, the ministry said, that great
piers supporting seven spans of the
southern viaduct have entirely dis
appeared. Only the stumps remain
of piers which carried seven spans
of the other"
The Italy-based 18th Air Force,
which yesterday damaged three re-
flneries in the Vienna area and
bombed Linz, Regensburg and Mu-
Mich, today bombed Brenner Pass
Pc Valley communication objectives
for tho 10Th oppcno,,fiya Jo,,