3300 TONS IN 24 HOURS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 230, 24 June 1943, Page 5

3300 TONS IN 24 HOURS

Bomb Delivery To Wed. Morning

GREATEST OF WAR (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) LONDON, June 22. The aviation commentator of the British United Press, declaring that the Axis for 24 hours has suffered the heaviest bombing of the war, estimated that about 3300 tons of bombs were dropped in the vital economic area of Germany and the vital communications area of south Italy. “This is easily the most concentrated attack of the war against such widely-separated objectives in such a short period,’’ he said. The commentator did not include m this survey the attacks against targets in Belgium today. The air activities reported during the 24 hours ended on the night of June 21 ineluded Night of June 20: R.A.F. Wellingtons heavily attacked Naples; heavy bombers hammered Reggio di Calabria and San Giovanni, and also Friedrichshaven, in Germany. Daj' of June 21: 100 American Hying Fortresses again attacked Naples and Cancello, north-east of Naples, and other bombers pounded Salerno and Battipaglia. Night of June 21: 700 heavy bombers wiped out Krefeld. These attacks have been quickly followed by Allied blows all day today and the further operations which began this evening.

BLITZ ON KREFELD Tremendous Effect

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 22. ' Stirlings, Halifaxes, Laneasters, and Wellingtons of the Royal Air Force lasi night dropped on Krefeld, on the western edge of the Ruhr, one of the heaviest loads so far released on any German target. Four-thousand-pound bombs were tailing five a minute at one time during the attack, which lasted only 50 minutes. The whole target, one pilot stated, appeared to be one solid mass of tire, glowing and giving off dense clouds of thick smoke, which rose thousands of feet. Later arrivals said that the smoke pall was over three miles high. "If you can imagine a blaze five or six times as big as the Coventry one you will get some idea of what Krefeld looked like,” said one airman. . As the first arrivals approached they saw the huge belt of the Ruhr defences going into action, but the- defences of Krefeld itself were slow to open up, and were soon overwhelmed. However, there were more night fighters than for some time past, and many combats occurred in bright moonlight along the route. Zero hour was 1.30 a.m., and-the fires started by the first wave seemed to have spread Very rapidly. Krefeid contains the largest producer of high-grade steels in Germany—the great Deutsche Edelstahlwerke combine, which turns out nearly 200,000 tons of steel a year. Nazi ‘Description. Forty-three of our bombers [not 34 as earlier reported] are missing from the raid. The crew of another bomber, originally reported missing from _ the raid, have been picked up in the North Sea. Describing the scene at Krefeld after the raid, a Berlin radio reporter said: “Whoever has seen the hospitals here has seen the exact equivalent of a casualty clearing station in the front line. The people of Krefeld think bitterly of their beautiful parks, dean streets and neat houses, most of which have fallen victims to the enemy’s terror.” It was, he said, a spectacle of destruction and immense devastation, and was like some grisly panorama in a theatre. Delayed-action bombs which had been mistaken for duds had caused much damage, and thousands of people had already streamed out of the city. Today’s Berlin communique says that heavy damage was done in the Krefeld raid, and the residential areas suffered most severely. Numerous blocks of buildings were destroyed, and civilian casualties were caused.

FORTRESSES OVER RUHR Rubber Factory Hit LONDON, June 22, Soon after the Krefeld raid, Flying Fortresses this morning made their first daylight attack in force on tire Ruhr. Other Fortresses in daylight today raided objectives in Belgium. A joint British nnd American communique describing these operations says: “A large formation of Flying Fortresses, with escort,, penetrated strong anti-air-craft tire and fighter defences to attack the synthetic rubber factory at Buel, near Recklinghausen, 35 miles north-east of Krefeld. (This factory supplies a very considerable portion of the enemy’s buna rubber and is the second largest producer of its kind in the whole of Axis Europe.)

"Another formation of Fortresses attacked the General Motors plant, near Antwerp, Belgium, experiencing heavy fighter opposition. The bombing results were good, and fires were started at both targets. "Many squadrons of American, R.A.K, Dominion and Allied fighters carried out escorting and supporting operations. Spitfires drove off a force of between 30 and 40 Focke-Wulfs which tried unsuccessfully to intercept our bombers as they were returning over Holland. R.A.F. Mitchells, with fighter escort, today bombed docks and shipping at Rotterdam. Our fighters destroyed seven of the enemy. “We lost in these operations 20 bombers nnd four fighters.” Another R.A.F. communique says that Beaufighters escorted by Spitfires and Typhoons this evening attacked a heavilydefended enemy convoy southbound off the Dutch coast. Five escort vessels were sunk, while a supply ship was probably sunk. Earlier. Venturas, escorted by Spitfires bombed the airfield at Abbeville. Two Beaufighters and one Ventura are missing.