POWERFUL RAIDS BY R.A.F. OVER EUROPE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 31, 6 February 1943, Page 5

POWERFUL RAIDS BY R.A.F. OVER EUROPE

TURIN PLASTERED Heavy Poundings For Italy, France And Reich N.Z.P.A. and British Wireless Rec. 2.30 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 5. "Last night R.A.F. bombers were over Italy, France and Germany," the Air Ministry states. "Turin was heavily bombed for the first time since December 11. The defence, though clearly strengthened, was, as in December, nowhere effective." The naval base at Spezia and the submarine base at Lorient were targets for other bombers. Weather was good and the bombing heavily concentrated. Targets in the Ruhr were also bombed in the course of reconnaissance flights over Germany. Three of our bombers are missing.

Last night's air raids were the most powerful the R.A.P. has launched against three countries in one night. They had the distinction of being large-scale and extensive attacks with a low percentage of losses. A previous similar operation was in 1940, but on a smaller scale.

To-day's Italian communique says that successive waves of bombers last night raided Turin and its vicinity. Many buildings were hit. Other planes bombed Spezia, the submarine base 50 miles to the south, where unimportant damage was done, and also Trapani, in western Sicily. The attack on Turin was the biggest of the operations carried out by the R.A.F. last night. Eight 10001b bombs, as well as incendiaries, were dropped and all the cr'ews agree it was a most severe and-* concentrated attack. Visibility was good and the attack developed very quickly. An outbreak of fire in one Lancaster caused its bomb load to be jettisoned five miles from the town. This started a large forest fire. The weather was equally good over Lorient, the Nazi submarine base on the French west coast, where a considerable force carried out a systematic blitz of the docks. Bombs were dropped at a place on the south coast of England, it was officially stated this afternoon. Some damage was done and ther-e were a small number of casualties. One enemy aircraft was destroyed off the south-west coast. It is officially stated that four enemy fighters dropped bombs at a place in the Isle of "Wight this afternoon. These caused some damage and casualties, including a few people killed.