HEAVY DAMAGE IN MAINZ MIDDLE EAST RAIDS

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23717, 15 August 1942, Page 5

HEAVY DAMAGE IN MAINZ

MIDDLE EAST RAIDS

RESULTS OF R.A.F. RAID

ADMISSIONS MADE BY GERMANS (Received August 14, 9.50 p.m.) (N.Z.P.A.-8.0.W.) LONDON, Aug. 13. Many fires started in the first raid on Mainz, the German railway centre and inland port at the junction of the Rhine and Main rivers, wore still burning when the British bombers arrived over the city for the second time. The attack was renewed, and according to pilots who took part the results were even better than those on Tuesday night, although, as one pilot said, the first raid would take some beating. The fires, he said, were too numerous to count, and a black pall of smoke spread over the area. Crew after crew descended below the cloud base to pick out landmarks and pin-point their objectives. Again the, attack was concentrated and it was’ over in about an hour. Berlin admits that the fires started were extensive and the destruction widespread. The Berlin radio states that the raid was one of the heaviest carried out on any city in the Rhineland. The radio referred to toppling buildings and spreading fires. An official Air Ministry communique stales: “During the day there has been some enemy activity over the coasts of south-east and south-west England. Bombs were dropped at a few points and some damage and a small number of casualties have been reported. “This evening a bomber was destroyed by one of our fighters off the west coast. An enemy aircraft was destroyed in raids on this country last night.” An agency message reports that a few night raiders over East Anglia on Wednesday bombed scattered points, including the Greater London area, in which seven were killed and three were injured. A single night raider bombed two points on the south-east-ern coast of Scotland. A German fighter-bomber raided a south coast town in daylight, injuring three. One German bomber was destroyed over the south coast of England during tne day, and one was shot down during the n *The Berlin radio announced that the Luftwaffe heavily bombed port installations at a town on the Firth oForth, also an aerodrome to the south of the town, and aircraft factories at a town in the West Midlands. Big guns on both sides of the Channel were in action on Wednesday night, contributing one of the noisiest uifmts experienced in the Dover area. The Germans, apparently using more guns than usual, fired some six-gun salvoes. United States Army headquarters in the European theatre of operations states that in the 48 hours to 9 am. on August 13, United States fighter squadrons flying in conjunction with Royal Air Force fighters made three operational flight over the coast of France. United States flghteis also took part in 20 sea sorties and eight interception sorties off the coast ot England. , . , .. The aviation correspondent ot tne “Daily Herald” says: “We are now losing a much smaller proportion of big four-engined bombers such as Lancastors, Stirlings, and Halifaxcs than any other type in raids on Germany. This has an important bearing on the future of the air offensive, for night raids in the not distant future will be made almost entirely by four-engined aeroplanes.”

BRITISH AND U.S. AIRCRAFT

SHIPS AND AERODROMES ATTACKED (Received August 14, 8.50 p.m.) LONDON, August 13. British bombers on Wednesday night bombed aerodromes at Palata and Rhodes, according to an agency message from Cairo. Some fires were started, two of them being visible 40 miles away. Thirty aircraft on the ground were straddled by bombs. Shipping at Tobruk was raided and fire and explosions were seen. The Solium area was attacked by Royal Australian Air Force light bombers which sank two more Axis lighters off the North African coast on Thursday morning, bringing the total to 13 sunk and two probably sunk in a short space. The bombers made their attacks on the vessels at dawn as they were moving along the coast with supplies. A message from Cairo reports an attack at dusk on August 11 by United States heavy bombers on four enemy cruisers in the Greek harbour of Navarino. Three were damaged. Two hits on one cruiser caused a large explosion, a near miss or a hit on a second caused a huge column of black smoke, and another near miss was scored on a third cruiser and there was an explosion on board when a bomb burst.

The attack on the warships was carried out by a big force of heavy bombers, which found the four cruisers moored close together.

MR NASH IN LONDON ATTENDANCE AT WAR CABINET (Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) LONDON. August 13. The New Zealand Minister to Washington (the Hon. W. Nash) has spent the present week in a series of consultations. He has now attended eight War Cabinet meetings, and has also talked with the Wool Controller (Sir Henry Shackleton). Lord Samuel, and Mr C. R, Attlee. To-day he discussed service matters with Air Commodore L. M. Isitt and Brigadier R. S. Park. Callers included Sir Alexander Godley.

Italian Spies Sentenced. —A military court has sentenced four Italians to death for espionage,—lstanbul, August