HEAVY DESTRUCTION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 65, 17 March 1945, Page 5

HEAVY DESTRUCTION

German General Staff Headquarters Hit GREAT FIRES SWEEP ZOSSEN British Official Wireless Rec. .1.30 .p.m. RUGBY, March,. .16. American ..Headquarters in France state that the headquarters buildings of the German Army General Staff at Zossen, and nearby rows of barracks, were hit by the first wave of heavy bombers in Thursday's attack. Photographs taken during the attack show that the first bombs ' also blocked roadways in the headquarters, area and hit a tank training depot. : Great fires were burning in the target area when .the second wave came in. "These bombers placed six heavy concentrations in the target area. More staff headquarters buildings and barracks were hit, also the administration buildings and storage depot. , ■: ■ >.. The bombers dropped 6000 highexplosive bombs and 325,000 incendiary bombs? on the headquarters. The attack./wtes aimed at paralysing the Army nerve centre through the destruction of administrative buildings, vital records, barracks and other utilities. Part of the headquarters was deep underground. A Stockholm report says Hitler was at Zossen last Sunday. Flak was intense at Oranienburg, but generally meagre at Zossen, where bombing was visual, although ground haze arid smoke from fires in the target area hampered some Bomb-aimers. . .