U.S. Romanian raid reported
7 U.S. bombers land on Turkish soil
By Dana Adams Schmidt, United Press staff writer
Ankara, Turkey –
A force of at least seven great four-motored U.S. planes have carried out a large-scale bombing raid on Romanian oil fields, it was reliably reported here today.
There was no official confirmation from any quarter of the mission on which the bombers had been, but seven of them were forced down in Turkey, at least four by anti-aircraft fire.
Try to get to Syria
There were indications that the big planes had been over Southern Europe and were attempting to get to British-controlled Syria. Three of them landed in southern Turkey, one at Diyarbakir, a town in southeastern Anatolia Province only 20 minutes flying time from the Syrian border.
The American pilots were quoted as saying:
We accomplished our mission in the Black Sea.
They were exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately, indicating a long flight.
The Berlin radio said that a large number of U.S. planes had dropped leaflets on Turkish territory, but other indications were that the Americans’ mission was elsewhere in the Black Sea.
The mission was not explained, but it was thought possible that the long-range, four-motored planes had been bombing the Germans at the Russian Crimean port of Sevastopol, which the German 11th Army has been assaulting violently for eight days.
Whatever the objective, it was believed to have been German. A bomber that landed at Arisiye, near İzmit, 350 miles southwest of Sevastopol, was reported to have entered Turkish territory with a German fighter plane behind it.
One German broadcast said that the four U.S. planes had “escaped from Sevastopol.”
Turkish anti-aircraft gunners were said to have fired on some planes and the bomber was reported to have crash-landed in Turkish territorial waters, with two motors damaged by anti-aircraft fire and two of the seven members of the crew injured.
A captain had a wounded hand and a second man a wounded knee, but it was not determined whether they had been injured by Turkish anti-aircraft fire or the pursuing German plane.
Three bombers, with a total of 27 Americans aboard, had to land at Ankara Airport when they ran out of gasoline.
An early Turkish communiqué said:
On the 12th of this month, three U.S. planes made a forced landing at Ankara Airdrome. Another landed near Arisiye. The four planes with their crews were interned in accordance with international law.
Some of the interned fliers were seen strolling in the streets of Ankara under guard.