AIR ATTACKS IN BATTLE AREA

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24445, 20 December 1944, Page 5

AIR ATTACKS IN BATTLE AREA

ALLIES KNOCK OUT 95 TANKS GERMANS USE NEW WEAPON (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, Dec 19. The Associated Press correspondent at Supreme Headquarters says: 4 Our fighter-bombers to-day knocked out 95 German tanks and damaged 26. They also shot down 45 enemy aeroplanes of 300 that took the air.” “During Monday night the entire 9th and Ist Army fronts were lighted by flares and rocked to the thunder of anti-aircraft guns and the explosions of Hitler’s new secret weapons, details of which are at present restricted,” says the correspondent of the Associated “Cloud cover was so low over the entire front yesterday that some planes had to fly at tree-top height over the mountain areas. Many dogfights were fought out at less than 1000 feet. ■ “The Luftwaffe's operations in the 9th Army sector are apparently designed to disrupt communications and prevent supporting, moves for the Ist Army. The German pilots stuck closely to the front lines along the Roer river and south into Belgium and Luxemburg. They were . apparently content to intercept American planes, but not ready to risk undue losses by penetrating over British or American territory, where the skies were filled with hundreds of fighters.” “On Monday night a few more German paratroopers—about • 10—were dropped in a Ist Army sector, and from six who were captured it is understood that their mission was to harass our rear lines of communication,” writes a correspondent at Supreme Headquarters. “In spite of poor weather there have been more aerial combats over the scene of the ground operations, and 20 of a group of 150 German fighters were destroyed, and 13 others damaged. Our own losses, if any, are not known, but in another dogfight near Dueren three Focke Wulf ISO’s were shot down while they were dive-bombing our troops. We lost three aeroplanes in this engagement.” PRISONERS SHOT BY GERMANS ACTION REPORTED BY CORRESPONDENTS (Rec. 11.30' p.m.) LONDON. Dec. 19. "Von Rundstedt’s counter-offensive is a ruthless advance in which at least one psnzer group has been mowing down prisoners as soon as it takes them,” says the “Daily Express” correspondent with the Ist Army. “Ws have eye-witnesses’ evidence that the Germans on Sunday lined up 200 Americans in the field and shot many of them.” The Associated Press correspondent with the Ist Army quotes a survivor, an American corporal, as saying: “Those oi us who played dead later got away, but we had to lie still and listen to German n.c.o.’s killing with pistols every wounded man who moaned or tried to move.” The correspondent adds: "The massacre started when heavy guns on Tiger tanks shot up more than a dozen American lorries and light armoured vehicles. The captured Americans were then led to a field, and as a German column moved past less than 50 yards away the gunners raked them with machine-gun fire and pistols. Fewer than 20 reached their own lines three-quarters of an hour latef.” U.S. CASUALTIES IN WEST CONSCRIPTION RATE TO BE INCREASED (Rec. 9 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Dec. 18. The United States War Department has announced that the , American forces’ casualties on the Western Front in November were 57,775, comprising 8259 dead, 43,330 wounded, and 6186 missing. The total casualties since D Day were 258,124, comprising 44,143 dead, 189,118 wounded, and 24,863 missing. At the same time the War Department announced that the Army's Janu-ary-February draft called for an increase of from 60,000 to 80,000 men a month. The department explained'that since July it had asked the Selectee Service authorities for fewer men than the estimated requirements. Deficits were made up by combing Amy units for men for field service. The department would determine later whether it would be necessary to continue the increased rate in March and April. The Selective Service authorities have announced that all men under 30 rejected for military service since February 2, 1944, except those with obvious physical defects, will be reexamiiled in, 1945.