2,000 planes rip Germany in U.S. pincer assault
Fliers from Britain hit robot experimental plant; Italy-based raiders attack in south
By Walter Cronkite, United Press staff writer
London, England –
Two U.S. air fleets, totaling about 2,000 planes, struck from Britain and Italy today at Peenemünde, birthplace of Germany’s flying bombs, another Baltic experimental station, the great aircraft center of Friedrichshafen, and the Memmingen Air Base 60 miles southwest of Munich.
The U.S. 8th and 15th Air Forces teamed in the pincer attack on northern and southern Germany. The raid mounted from Britain may have interrupted work on rocket projectiles which Stockholm newspapers speculated might be aimed at the United States.
Crewmen of the nearly 750 Flying Fortresses and Liberators reported that they planted their bombs squarely on the Peenemünde and Zinnowitz targets, touching off great columns of smoke over the mysterious plants.
Three land in Sweden
Stockholm dispatches said three Fortresses landed near Malmö.
Italian headquarters announced the double-barreled raid on Friedrichshafen and Memmingen. Bern reported heavy explosions were audible from the direction of Friedrichshafen, but no German planes were seen in action against the Allied bombers. One U.S. bomber landed at the Dübendorf Airdrome in Switzerland.
The Flying Fortresses and their escort of 500 fighters sent a great weight of blockbusters and incendiary bombs crashing down on laboratories and other buildings at Peenemünde, 60 miles northwest of Stettin, and Zinnowitz, both on the Baltic Sea coast.
Weather good
Other unidentified targets in Northwest Germany were also hit by the 8th Air Force armada, which flew out from Britain in the first good weather in many days.
The fighter escort in the raid on North Germany shot down 21 enemy planes and lost two.
Crewmen said they saw their bombs crash on three buildings, comprising the target, where the Germans were understood to manufacture chemicals for use in connection with their flying bombs.
The raid on Peenemünde was the first since RAF bombers hit the town on the night of Aug. 17, 1943, killing several of Germany’s top scientists in a surprise attack that was believed to have set back experimental work on robot bombs by a number of months.
Making new robots
It was possible that the experimental stations at Peenemünde and Zinnowitz were now engaged in manufacturing and testing rocket projectiles which Swedish reports said carry 10 tons of explosives and are 25 times more destructive than the present jet-propelled missiles.
The air correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph said yesterday that reports the Germans have robot projectiles powerful enough to be sent to New York “cannot be completely disregarded.”
British four-engined Stirlings and Halifaxes last evening attacked robot bomb installations on coast of northern France while Mosquitoes raided Berlin. All bombers returned safely. A fighter which helped escort the bombers to northern France was lost, but the pilot was rescued.
Despite the heavy attacks on launching platforms in northern France, the Germans continued to hurl their robot bombs against London and southern England and additional damage and casualties were reported both last night and today.
College damaged
Censorship restrictions were lifted to permit disclosure that robot bombs recently had damaged the 325-year-old Dulwich College in London, though no casualties resulted.
For three hours after midnight, the southeast coast rocked under the vibration of a heavy bombardment across the strait and some reports said the salvoes of big guns could be heard among the crash of bombs.
With clearing weather, the Allies opened their large-scale air activity this morning over the Normandy battlefront, with strong forces of U.S. Marauders and Havocs ranging over the British front shortly after dawn to smash at tank and vehicle concentrations.
During the night, 2nd Tactical Air Force Mosquitoes bombed bridges over the Seine, including the important one at Vernon, and attacked river barges with cannon. Intruders destroyed at least one German plane during the night.
Fly 3,000 sorties
Supreme Headquarters announced that in yesterday’s 3,000 sorties, of which nearly 1,000 were in direct support of troops, 24 German planes were destroyed at a loss of 10 Allied aircraft.
Approximately 250 German fighters were reported over the battlefront yesterday, although they confined most of their activities to hit and run strafing of troops rather than aerial combat.
