“FIGHTING FOR ITS LIFE”

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24194, 29 February 1944, Page 5

“FIGHTING FOR ITS LIFE”

ALLIES PUT STRAIN ON LUFTWAFFE RESULTS OF WEEK’S BOMBING (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, Feb. 27. “The Luftwaffe is now fighting for its life,” said a senior American • officer, summarising the results of last week’s offensive against German fighter aircraft factories. During the week the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force between them devastated nine enemy fighter aeroplane centres, and other targets, with some 17,000 tons of bombs. “Since January 1,” said the officer, “Germany has lost 80 per cent, of her twin-engine and 60 per cent, of her single-engine fighter production capacity, 25 per cent, of her heavy bomber production, and 60 per cent, of her transport aeroplane production. “In addition, during -the week the enemy lost 641 fighters in aerial combat, and hundreds were destroyed on the ground.”

Although the battle was by no means over, the last six days’ attacks had been so concentrated that if they were followed up properly they were'likely to prove disastrous to the Luftwaffe. Not a single German fighter plant remained unhit, he said. It was necessary to make continual trips to plants where the Germans might restore production, at least of vital parts, within as little as three weeks. Replacements and reserves, he said, would not enable the present rate of operations to be maintained. The air warfare was coming to the point when heavy bombers and escorting fighters were going to invite the Luftwaffe into the skies.

Anolher spokesman said: "Previous attacks have certainly disrupted German fighter production, but this is the first time we have knocked production into a decline.”

The British and American aggregate losses in the attacks on Germany, from the Royal Air Force attack on Leipzig on the night of February 19 to Friday double blow at Augsburg, totalled 417 machines. The Stockholm newspaper “Morgen Tidningen’’ says that Augsberg received no warning of the second raid last week because the first raid put out of action the alarm system. Six thousand five hundred were killed at Augsberg and 4000 at Schweinfurt. Several thousands were killed at Steyr, including a large percentage of skilled workers.

The Luftwaffe during the six nights from February 18 flew, it is estimated, between 600 and 700 sorties. The aviation correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says that about 400 raiders reached the London area during the period. The Germans lost at least 42 aircraft—a rate of about 6 per cent RESISTANCE IN FRANCE LONDON, Feb. 27. riair a million men are already engaged in a battle in France more bitter than the French Revolution,” says Ralph Heinzen, who was correspondent of the British United Press in Paris and Vichy for 20 years, until he was arrested by the Germans. He has rio «^.L reac^ Lisbon after his release. , The French themselves call this battle the Third Front. Joseph Darnand has been given a free hand to try to wipe out the patriot movement. He is utterly ruthless, and is rounding up thousands of patriots and shooting them mercilessly, but the patriot movement goes on and grows daily. It has become a ghost-like army. Vichy and the Germans know it is there, but they can never pin it down. “The French are united as never before with one aim, to drive out the Germans, whom they hate with an intensity which has to be experienced to be believed. It is a burning, devour* ing. never-dying emotion. The patriots at present are devoting most of their efforts to paralysing Laval’s attempts to mobilise 400,000 labour conscripts from the 1924 class, 265,000 of whom Laval has promised to Germany.

“It is estimated that 6,000,000 Frenchmen are participating in the German war effort, either as prisoners of war working in Germany or as ‘volunteers’ in French factories on German munitions, or as soldiers in the German army. French workers can escape possible deportation to Germany only by volunteering for work in the coal and iron mines and factories.”

MINERS CALLED BY ARMY AUSTRALIAN MOVE STRIKERS TO REPORT FOR SERVICE (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 11 p.m.) . SYDNEY. Feb. 28. Army call-up notices were served today on 500 New South Wales miners between the ages of 18 and 35 years. These are men who have been on strike since February 14. The move followed defiance by the miners of an urgent order by the Commonwealth Coal Commissioner (Mr N. Mighell) to resume work to-day. The notices order the men to report for military service on Monday and Tuesday of next week. No disclosure has yet been made about the action to be taken against striking miners outside the 18-35 age group. The strike, extending ing days, arose over the miners’ objecton to working pillars with more than one pair of miners. The men claim that the use of more than one pair of miners causes dust, which affects their lungs. ARMY ATTITUDE TO RAMIREZ POSSIBLE RISING IN ARGENTINA (Rec, 7 p.m.) NEW YORK, Feb. 27. "Informed officials arriving at Montevideo from Buenos Aires report that most Argentine officers and the armed forces favour General Ramirez, and are only awaiting his signal to stage a rising to restore him to the Presidency,” says the Montevideo correspondent of the Associated Press of America. “General Ramirez is now a virtual prisoner in his own house.”

GERMAN OFFENSIVE IN SLOVENIA JUGOSLAVS REPORT HEAVY FIGHTING (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON. Feb. 27. The Germans have started an offensive against Venetian Slovenia from three directions, according to a Jugoslav communique. Violent fighting is reported on the Celje-Maribor railway line. The German offensive in Herzegovina continues and there is Partisan activity in other sectors. “In Slovenia the Partisans are maintaining the initiative and carrying out successful" attacks," says the communique. “An enemy, group was defeated near Postojna and a great quantity, of war material captured. Heavy fighting against German motorised units continued in the area of Novomesto. the enemy sustaining heavy losses. In Herzegovina the German Prinz Eugen jjivisidn was routed near Gacko, ’