FOUR THOUSAND

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 179, 11 May 1944, Page 4

FOUR THOUSAND

PLANES OVER ENEMY AREAS DEVASTATING ATTACKS MADE. ONLY 21 AIRCRAFT LOST. ' (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright. __ (Rec. 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, May 10. The Allied air forces continued their devastating attacks from Britain today, after a night of widespread activity, in which Mosquitoes carried out high-speed bombing of Berlin, and seven powerful separate forces swept over France and Belgium. People in towns on the south coast of England again had a wakeful night owing to explosions, which made the houses rock “as if in the throes of an earthquake.” Heavy gunfire from the other side 1 • of the Channel again shook the towns late this afternoon. For the first time since the big aiv offensive from Britain began, there is available an official figure of the total number of planes engaged in a single day. The Air Ministry stated that 4000 British and American bombers and fighters of all types operated from Birtain yesterday. Of these only 21 were lost. Flying Fortresses and Liberators based on Italy to-day attacked the Wienerneustadt aircraft plant for the sixth time. The purpose of the mission was to hit the hitherto-undam-aged buildings, stir up the debris, and damage the factory’s aerodrome. An other formation Tif Liberators attac - ed, the railway centre of Knin (Yugoslavia). , . The Algiers radio announced . late to.-tftght that heavy bombers to-day at- ' tacked Steyr (Austria).