HEAVIEST RAID ON BERLIN

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24503, 28 February 1945, Page 7

HEAVIEST RAID ON BERLIN

RAILWAY STATIONS AS TARGETS U.S. BOMBERS DROP 1260 TONS (N.Z. press' Association-copyright) LONDON,' Feb. 26. Berlin Suffered Its heaviest air raid of-the war on Monday* when more than 1200 Liberators and Flying Fortresses, escorted by 700 fighters, dropped 1250 tons of high, explosives and 00,000 incendiaries on the city In a little more than an hour. , , The targets were the Schleslscher, Alexanderplatz, and _ Berlin norm railway stations, which. fere, respectively about two miles east, north-east, and north of the Air Ministry buildings in the heart of the city. The assault exceeded both in number of bombers and tonnagh of bombs the devastating blow of February 3, When about 1000 bombers were la the attacking force. Aviation correspondents note that the attack has brought to a new pitch Of fury, -the bombing onslaught in which in the last, eight days the united States alh Air Forte has sent Out 9700 heavy bombers from Britain to drop 22,000 tons of bombs on targets inside Germany. The first bombs were dropped- at 11.54 a.m.. exactly the time planned for the attack ,t6 Start. . Bombs continued to fall Ift - 100-ton salvoes at; intervals of one to 18 minutes. .This devastating raid was planned to give the utmost aid to the Russians, fighting only. 40 miles from Berlin, The treater part of the supplies for the lasterh Front’ Have to pass- through Berlin’s road and rail' network. > American Air.Headquarters, said that yesterday’s big attack on Berlin was directed . against three vital railway Stations, all of which were Important for ; the movement of supplies tq_the north, central, and eastern fronts. They, were the.Scmesischer station, at Which there are, freight-car repair shops and storage depots; the Berlin north, station. a large freight terminal; and the Alexanderplatz, which Services several lines. Sixteen bombers and seven fighters were missing. The whole Ojf Berlm Was still blazing last evenlng.after the afternoon’s great American raid. The German radio early lh the evening reported that another heavy force of bpmbersover me capital hatTbegun homolni, t The radio ap hour earlier" denounced “the; latest Allied terror raid,” and described at length scenes in Berlin after the departure of the-bombers, with women and .children “for long hours assisting the brigades to flghithe fires.’’ Yesterday’s American Taldjnpught the total bombs dropped on Berlin m about 60,000 tons. (The-..Luftwaffe m 1940-41 dropped about 7809 tons on London.) ■ . American pilots reported that German fighters did noiappear over Berlin yesterday and Silk was only moderate; Most of me '.escorting fighters made me round , trip without even seeing an enemy aeroplane.; They, livened the homeward flight by ground-straf-ing. destroying nine locomotives. It is officially announced that Royal Air Force Mosquitoes last night attacked Berlin for the - seventh night running, other Mosquitoes bombed NurembUrg. r -.