AMERICAN BOMBERS BLAST RHINE AREAS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 245, 16 October 1944, Page 5

AMERICAN BOMBERS BLAST RHINE AREAS

COLOGNE-DUSSELDORF

Twenty-seven Planes Fail

To Return

N.Z. Press Association —Copyright Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, Oct. 15

In addition to the 2600 planes sent over Germany by R.A.F. Bomber Command in 18 hours, over 1200 Fortresses. and Liberators of the United States Army Air Force were also over Germany to-day attacking military targets in Cologne, also the Mannheim and Reisholz oil plants, south, and south-east of the Rhine city' of Dusseldorf respectively. It was the first time that bombers of the Eighth Air Force had attacked Mannheim and Reisholz, which today were bombed visually. • The bombers did not encounter air opposition, but Thunderbolts, ranging ahead of the bombers, strafed targets in the Hanover, Brunswick and Kassel areas. They encountered some air opposition and shot down seven German planes, including one jet-propelled Messerschmitt 262. They also destroyed wo enemy planes on the ground. Hie Thunderbolts disabled 54 locomotives and shot up 125 freight cars. Twenty-three American bombers and four fighters are ing.Targets in Holland .Mitchell and Boston bombers of we R.A.F. Second Tactical Air •porce this morning attacked an important railway bridge at Deventer, in Holland. Several of the crews saw bombs straddle the bridge. The attackers encountered heavy antiaircraft fire. Members of the rocket-firing ftnodesian squadron reported attacking three "haystacks," from which "ley saw their cannon shells fichocnet and then Germans leaving the "aystacks. "We saw lots ■of concrete and debris fly in all directions," we squadron-leader said. "We completely flattened the 'haystacks,' which were really strongly fortified fun positions with a network of slit wenches and fox-holes. Other rocket-firing Typhoons successfully attacked four camouflaged artillery positions south of weskens. This ■ group of rocket-firing yphopns flew 450 sorties in support of the ground forces in the Breske'ns area and east of Beveland. Some armed reconnaissances were also flown over Holland. Direct Hits On Bridge The Belgian Spitfire Squadron scored direct hits on the railway pndge at Woensdrecht. The group iost four planes during the day.

Mosquitoes last night, without loss, patrolled a large area of Germany and Holland but found few targets owing to bad weather.

The Air Ministry news service states that a single Mosquito on an offensive patrol off the German Baltic coast this morning caught the Germans off their guard, destroyed eight of their planes on the ground and damaged another five. The crew of the Mosquito also reported dispersing a large German parade in the middle of the airfield at Stargard Kolberg was also visited.