Show i est Air ir Raid ai Heaps II 5 Ruin On Berlin er i n Tons Tans of Bombs Loses Loses' 43 Aircraft Minute 20 Lambasting by Planes Sends s of Flame Raging Through City Smoke Four Miles Mies High f t. t By W W. W. W Hercher LONDON Feb 16 The UThe The RA RAP F smashed Berlin Tuesday night with the greatest load oad of bombs ever ever dropped on oI a single single well wel well oyer over 2800 tons which cascaded down in a smothering smother smother- smote smote- ing minute 20 attack atack by SOO to 9 O heavy eavy bobers bombers 4 4 three Forty e aircraft l crat ft are arC re missing from the nigh nights night's s 's operations which h included other forays The Th RA RAF A F waited two w weeks eks' eks tOdeal todeal to todeal deal this crushing blow blow- bloW ag against the expiring capital of the the thee German e. e ar reich Not since e January 30 when Berlin was was hit by i a force forc 0 approaching planes had it made mad a major attack It I is believed that the te armada armad sent over Germany German Tuesday y night comprised the greatest number of pl planes nes ever eyer to fill fi the reich's skies kle kleI I in one night including g 1000 heavy I bombers and more than lighter I craft craf Berlin received the con con contents I tents tents' of 80 O Oto to bIg big bomb big bomb bom bars bays Smoke Rises Four Fou Miles Ues Billows of of flame fame swept trough through the city when the assault was fm fin fin- ish d. d Cr Crews ws pf reconnoitering g mosquitos reported a very very lar larfield large field of fire Wt with sok smoke pluming I g four miles mies into the air Just before Berlin W was hits hit hita a a smaller force of ra madea made a feint att attack attak k on Frankfurt Od Oder r. r 50 m miles le on f Berlin B bombed Mosquitos-bombed west western cm ern rn German Germany ad and lol Holland nd d Mines Mine also were la laid d in i enemy w waters t r r. r The Te heaviest previous raid on Berlin was on t the night of J last t January 20 20 when more 2578 tons 2300 British long fons tons ions w were re dropped within an h hour ur The TheR R RAF's A F's heaviest previous raid on bri ona bria on ona a single target was its is attack on Hanover r. r about 2800 t tons ns 2 2500 OO OOlong long tons last September 22 The Tho air ministry first listed 45 5 planes lost Jost but later announced d the te toll tol was 43 A Swedish report quo quoting private private vate advices reaching Stockholm said high explosives and inc incendiaries n- n diaries showered down on all sections see sec tons of Berlin T Tuesday night Traffic Disrupted All Al bus tram tai and underground traffic was reported disrupted Berlin correspondents of Swedish newspapers were almost completely complete Complete- ly sien silenced ed but the Germ German con cOn h-cOn- n- n trolled Scandinavian tel telegraph gra h bureau reported from Zurich that tat the heavy attack started may many fires tires D N B B. B German news agen agency y declared in ln a 3 broadcast British Brits air hu huns s carried out an another ther terror raid on the reich capital The raiders were favored by the weather A Al layer yer of of dense clo cloud d lay ov over r the city and the enemy took advantage of of this ts I to drop bombs at at random in several districts The Te terror raiders were met by extraordinary h heavy y a antiaircraft antiaircraft anti anti- t aircraft fire tire Damage was caused mainly in iI residential residental districts district Returning pilots ag agreed ed a a c ceiling ceil l- l ng ing of heavy clouds over Berlin prevented accurate observation of the results an and also the te defenses They Tey said flak over the e target area was intense but mac inac c- c curate Fighter opposition was wa light as compared with wIh s some me of or orthe the previous Berlin atac attacks s The Te Swedish newspaper Afton- Afton Berlin correspondent correspondent reported reported reported re re- re- re ported that two houses used temporarily temporarily tem tem- by the Swedish legation legato were destroyed by fire bombs bomb and ad that a a Sw Swedish dih church fn In the southwestern section of the city elty was hit by incendiaries Berlin now has received almost tons British Brish l long ng tons of bombs in a series of or 15 It 5 heavy attacks beginning November November Novem Novem- ber bet 18 1943 The total heavy bombers lost Jost on these night raids is an average of ot ot 31 a raid raid Frankf Frankfurt on a city of about 70 w was attacked o only ly lyonce once before in n Oc October ob r 1940 Its Is main industries manufacture machinery machinery machinery ma ma- chinery and chemicals and it is Important Important important im Im- Im- Im la as a railway y center Among the hundreds of ot planes which flew to Berlin was the te larg largest st st. force of heavy c v bo bombers bers ever to operate from ro Royal Canadian Cana Can adi a- a di din dian n air force bases base in Britain It I was composed of four and of which four were missing Hundreds of or big bomber bombers launched the thc deluge of ot bombs soon after 9 p. p m. m and ld returning ng fliers said that tat in a a. matt matter r of ot minutes a a. crimson glow sprang ng up through the cloud screen creen which lc obscured city their view of parts part of the te |