BERLIN HEAVILY DEFENDED

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24043, 3 September 1943, Page 5

BERLIN HEAVILY DEFENDED

R.A.P. BOMBERS FIGHT ALL THE WAY CLUSTERS OF FLARES USED BY ENEMY (N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 1. The hundreds of bombers which attacked Berlin on Tuesday night had to fight all the way to the target. The Germans had massed searchlights and guns all along the route and swarms of night fighters were up. There were so many, night fighters that the gunners of the heavy bombers could not relax for a moment throughout the whole trip. Over the target night fighters were everywhere,- and the explosion of shells, the lights of flares and searchlights, and the glow of fires started by bombs, filled the sky. The Germans tried a new technique, dropping flares in clusters from a great height, so that the bombers would be caught in the glare. The trick worked both ways, for it also showed the German night fighters to the gunners. A number of .enemy machines were brought down in this way. “The L gunners were reporting enemy fighters, some with lights on and some without, from the moment we crossed the enemy coast,” a wing commander reported after the raid. “It was not until we got to the capital that I personally saw any of the new flares the Germans are using. About a dozen were dropped at a time. They fell slowly from a good height and burnt with a brilliant white light. They were coming down in parallel lines and I saw at least six. My navigator at one time counted about 40 going down even more slowly than a leaf falls through the sky. “The Germans were obviously using them to illuminate us as we went in, and the whole aim of the enemy aircraft dropping them was to form a lane of flares through which we would have to pass on our way to the target.” The aviation correspondent of the “Daily Express” says that the Germans had apparently scraped up every available night fighter to defend Berlin. About 1000 must have been operating on the 400-mile route over enemy territory and over Berlin. The official German news agency claims that the newly reorganised German air defences inflicted extremely heavy losses on the raiders. The enemy formations were dispersed and forced to jettison most of their bombs. A concentrated attack was frustrated. Heavy air combats developed in which many of the raiders were shot down. The special correspondent of the New Zealand Press Association says that the 75th (New Zealand) Stirling Squadron took part in Tuesday night’s Berlin raid. It was the second time the squadron had been over Berlin in eight nights. RAIL TARGETS IN ITALY ATTACKS BY ALLIED BOMBERS ITALIANS ADMIT MUCH DAMAGE (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 1. The air communique from Allied Headquarters in North Africa says: “Heavy bombers of the North-west African Air Forces yesterday (Tuesday) attacked targets at Pisa (near Leghorn). There were large explosions and many fires in the railway yards and an aircraft factory. Naval yards were again attacked last night. “Important railway communications and junctions in the toe and foot of Italy were attacked by medium

bombers. Our fighter-bombers attacked railway targets in the Bay of Naples. “Six enemy aircraft were shot down during these operations. Two of our aeroplanes are missing.” An air communique from Cairo says; “United States Liberators yesterday attacked installations at the Italian railway centre of Pescara. The marshalling yards were well covered with bombs, resulting in fires and explosions. Bombs also directly hit the railway station, and a railway bridge over the river. Ten intercepting fighters were shot down. “Royal Air Force Beaufighters damaged a merchantman off the west coast of Greece. ‘'One of our aircraft is missing.” An Italian communique says that Allied aeroplanes on Tuesday bombed Pisa, Pescara, Salerno. Cosenza, and Catanzaro, causing considerable damage and many civilian casualties. BRITISH PRISONERS IN ITALY “NUMBER TRANSFERRED TO GERMANY” LONDON, Sept. 1. The Secretary of State for War (Sir James Grigg), in a written answer to a question in the House of Commons, said that a certain number of British prisoners of war had been transferred from Italy to Germany, but he added that nothing in international law forbade such a transfer. The Italian Government had now given assurances that.no British prisoners of war had been so transferred since the fall of the Fascist regime. FOUR NEW ZEALANDERS TRANSFERRED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, September 2, Information has been received by Base Records that four New Zealand prisoners of war have been removed from camp 57 in Italy to Oflag 43 in Germany. Next-of-kin have been advised. The information suggests that these men were transferred before the formation of the Badoglio Government, which has since given an assurance that no British prisoners of war would be transferred to Germany. The present view is that the Badoglio Government will honour the undertaking in so far as it is in a position; to give effect to it. Commands For Marine Officers.— For the first time in history officers of the Royal Marines are to be officially posted to the command of vessels of the fleet. The order making this announcement states that Marine officers will take command of certain types of landing craft and will exercise all the powers of commanding officers. The craft will be manned exclusively by Marines and the officers appointed to command will have training in navigation. The new departure is the natural development of the Marines’ traditional role of forming a link between the Navy and the Army.— Rugby, September t 4