HEAVY RAIDS ON EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23948, 15 May 1943, Page 5

HEAVY RAIDS ON EUROPE

Targets In Central Ruhr BERLIN BOMBED AGAIN (N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON. May 14. Very heavy attacks were, made on targets in the central Ruhr and Czechoslovakia by the Royal Air Force last night. Berlin was also bombed for the fifty-second time. Thirty-four bombers are missing. , , , . The Air Ministry and headquarters of the United States Army in Europe announce: “A strong force of heavy bombers of the United States Bth Air Force attacked an important industrial target and airfields in northern France on Thursday afternoon. The main attack was delivered against an enemy airframe factory and repair shop at Meaulte, while the airfields at St. Omer were bombed at the same time. The weather was favourable and the bombing results were good. “R.A.F., U.S.A.A.F., Dominion and Allied fighters supported the bombers. The fighters had many encounters with enemy aircraft, six of which were destroyed. Many enemy aircraft were also destroyed by the bombers. Three bombers and five fighters are missing. Official sources state that more American bombers were used on Thursday afternoon than ever before. Aircraft and dispersal areas were bombed and the raid was described by a pilot as an excellent show. The Air Ministry states that Mitchells of Bomber Command, escorted by fighters, attacked the railway yards at Boulogne on Thursday morning. Six enemy fighters were destroyed. One bomber and two fighters are missing. Later in the day Typhoon bombers escorted by fighters attacked the airfield at Abbeville, and Bostons of Bomber Command attacked targets in Cherbourg harbour. None is ing.Tons of Bombs More than 1500 tons of bombs were dropped in Wednesday night’s raid on Duisburg, the world's biggest inland port, and great industrial centre. This was more than the amount which devastated more than 600 acres at Cologne a year ago. The raid was packed into 45 minutes, and when it ended the whole area of Duisburg and the port of Ruhrort was covered in dense smoke, some of it billowing up to a height of over two miles. Huge fires were started and one pilot said he could see them when 150 miles away on the journey home. Many crews reported enormous explosions in toe ruins. Duisburg has now had 60 raids, the last being some two weeks ago, when nearly 1500 tons of bombs were dropped. Duisburg handles threequarters of all the Rhine cargo, and it is important to Hitler now that the railway system has been so badly damaged by R.A.F. attacks. “The losses were not heavy in view of the very large forces employed,’’ states the British United Press. “We must be approaching the 2000 tons mark in the loads dropped on German towns in one attack, even if that mark has not been already reached.” Describing the raid, the German radio gave an eye-witness account, in which one commentator said: “Truly, hell was let loose.’’ The Berlin radio earlier announced that British bombers attacked western Germany on Wednesday night. High explosives and incendiaries damaged buildings and residential quarters. The radio claimed that at least 15 raiders were shot down. The number of aircraft dispatched was not much above the average of heavy raids of the last three months, but the gradual substitution of fourengined for two-engined bombers has made the normal striking force more powerful than that which devastated 600 acres of Cologne in an hour and a half. Greater concentration was now possible, and last night’s raid was planned to take half the time of the Cologne raid. Fires Still Burning The raid was timed to start at 2 a.m., and it did so to the minute. By 2.45 a.m. the whole area was covered with dense smoke, lit by immense fires. A reconnaissance early on Thursday afternoon proved that the fires were still burning. There were a number of violent explosions during the raid, one being seen 40 miles away. It lit up all Duisburg and the country round. Similar explosions during previous raids have been discovered to be due to the firing of ammunition dumps or supplies of incendiaries. The pilots reported that the antiaircraft fire was moderate for the Ruhr and that the searchlights were baffled by the weight of the attack. A number of German fighters were seen, one bomber being attacked five times near the target. Squadron No. 75 (New Zealand) took part in last night’s raid on Duisburg. Among the New Zealanders who went were Squadron Leaders R. Broadbent and W. H. Laud (Auckland), both of whom were recently promoted flight commanders, Flight Lieutenant F. A Andrews (Auckland), Flying Officer O. F. Ormerod (Gisborne), Pilot Officers J. M. Bailey and R. O. French (Feildmg) Sergeants H. J. Dalzell (North Canterbury), and B. J. Hosie. The Air Ministry states that among many other New Zealanders taking part in the Duisburg raid were Squadron Leader R. J. Neal (Blenheim), Flying Officers J. B. Smith (Wellington) Ma ffarlane (Rotherham), F 'f h J; Sergeants G. Stevens (Rata), and G. R. Hewlett, and Sergeant P. Q, Brunton (Wellington).