The Ypsilanti Daily Press

Range Over Europe

The Allied non-stop aerial offensive against Hitler's Europe entered its fifth day today as fighter planes ranged over the continent in the wake of large-scale night operations which included a raid on Berlin.

A Rome communique said Allied planes also soared over the Italian capital last night to bomb Ostia, 15 to 20 miles away, site of an Axis airport.

In London, the air ministry disclosed that last night's sweeps over western Europe included bomber attacks on the industrial Ruhr Valley and the Rhineland in Germany as well as on the capital of the Reich. In addition, mines were laid in enemy waters under cover of extensive "intruder operations" by British fighter planes.

London said nine bombers and one fighter were missing from the night's activities. Details of the Ruhr and Rhineland assaults were not available, but the Berlin raid was said to have been comparatively small.

Early reports of today's fighter-plane sorties over the continent said five enemy planes were destroyed in combat.

Nazis Retaliate

German planes retaliated during the night with small-scale raids on London, Essex and southeast England. Five of the raiders were shot down over London by anti-aircraft fire and British night-fighter planes.

Not more than 20 Nazi planes were believed to have taken part in the raids on England. In London the first of three alerts was preceded by a loud explosion heard all over the city, caused by a bomb dropped by a lone, low-flying raider. Only three deaths were reported in the English capital. Damage and casualties elsewhere in England were small.

Last night's and today's Allied raids on the continent followed wide sweeps yesterday in which railroad, shipping and other targets were blasted from Norway to France.