| Show ATM RAF BOMBERS SPREAD FIRES OVER BREMEN REM EN Attack Believed Heaviest in Aerial Warfare LONDON June 26 lP- lP Great fir fires s were set by the theR thea R a RAF A F Thursday night in the big German port city of Bremen principal target of a devastating devastating ing i g assault assault which probably was the largest in the history of aerial warfare Indications were that the number number number num num- ber of planes participating exceeded exceed exceed- ed the flights of 1130 and 1036 bombers which laid Cologne and Essen in ruins on May 30 and June 1 An air ministry c told of ot one bomber force of m more re than 1000 whose main target was Bremen and reported intensive attacks attacks attacks at at- tacks on air fields in the low countries countries coun oun- tries fries by a second force of bombers and fighters Numbered In Hundreds This force was believed to have been numbered in the hundreds two Fifty-two planes were missing the highest one night one loss ver vel c cx- cx by the RA F but in informed informed informed in- in formed sources said this was less than 5 per cent sent of those involved This TIus would indicate that more than 1040 planes were involved d. d The Germans agreeing on the 52 figure contended it represented 25 per cent of the attackers In addition to the Bremen raid hundreds of fighter planes a and n d fighter-bombers fighter were believed to have participated in int intensive harassing attacks on German air fields The only made American-made planes used Thursday night were Douglas Havoc fighter-bombers fighter a well- well posted source said Canadian airmen n i n g from Bremen said that the glare I of many extensive fires against I Bremen's low clouds hindered appraisal appraisal appraisal ap ap- ap- ap of damage t to Bremen We got tired of trying to see through the clouds so we went down below and saw the town blazing merrily in a dozen places said a sergeant from Manitoba Again Friday the R It RAF A F was re reported reported reported re- re ported active over the English channel area Strikes at Arsenals Each of the three massive air blows has been aimed at a vital arsenal supplying war tools for Adolf Hitler's land sea and air forces By centering on Bremen the theR thea R a RAF A F evidently was adhering to a policy of making priority targets of U-boats U especially U-boats U under under under un un- un- un der construction In the period since the Essen-Cologne Essen raids smaller R RAF A F squadrons squadrons presumably ably of several hundred planes planes- four times have smashed at Emden C Continued on n Page Pege Six Column Three A j Ge Germany Y Gets Ar Another ot er P 00 E pip MIS ie SCOTLAND ti 0 Q n t GREAT D 0 BRITAIN 4 h LONDON r REMeN 1 ESSEN e BERLIN uN v seas 1 COLOGNE PEL GERMANY L PARIS x r FR FRANCE NCE 4 I ibl tO i i r f ITALY re td a SPAIN l arc n CORSICA R See t r S 1 1 fl O if SARDINIA S Some me 1000 or more U Ii RAF A F planes visited the city of Bremen important nazi seaport during the night continuing the monster raids which the British began late in May Map shows cities attacked so far 1 Cologne 2 Essen 3 Bremen Mass Air Raid Spreads Flames Over Nazi Port o of Bremen Continued from Page One I a U-boat U base 70 miles northwest of Bremen It was the second time this month that Bremen was singled out by the British for or the R A F's fire bath Besides being Germanys Germany's second largest port with a population of almost Bremen offered targets in abundance along abundance along with shipbuilding yards and one of Germans German's Germans German's Germans German's Ger Ger- mans man's biggest submarine construction construction tion works it has docks railways steel works oil refineries and the Focke- Focke Wulf Focke-Wulf Wulf fa factory tory and airdrome where the nazis nalis get fighters and great range long-range bombers An air ministry said Last night very large forces of our aircraft drawn from all the home operational commands of the theR theR R RAF A F were in operation The bombing force consisted of more than 1000 aircraft and Its main objective tive was Bremen the enemy's ue y s J second col 4 d l largest port and nd lone one 0 of the principal centers of his submarine production Large fires were seen but a considerable amount of heavy cloud made accurate observation of re results results results re- re very difficult To disorganize the enemy's defenses defenses defenses de de- de- de I many airfields In the low countries were subjected to intensive intensive intensive sive harassing attacks by a second force of bombers and fighters In the course of these intruder operations and in the many combats combats combats com com- bats wh which ch took place between our bombers and enemy fighters some enemy aircraft were dams damaged ged or or destroyed From the nights night's operations a total of 52 aircraft of ot all commands commands commands com com- mands is missing Bremen was said to have been defended fiercely by night fighter planes and antiaircraft fire against this the ninety-fifth ninety and heaviest air bombardment of the city as the theR theR R RAF A F went back pack with a vengeance to its scale big-scale offensive after bad bac weather had kept its huge bombers bomber s a at home two nights |
