EXTENT OF DAMAGE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 268, 7 August 1943, Page 5

EXTENT OF DAMAGE

3600 Acres Of Industrial Area Destroyed (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 5. One thousand seven hundred acres of 4000 acres of fully built-up industrial areas in the city of Hamburg had been destroyed, and of 3400 acres partly built up 1900 had been destroyed up to the night of August 7, said an R.A.F. commentator on the recent attacks. Few people had realized the vast organization’ behind such attacks, he said. In one heavy attack on Hamburg between 5000 and 6000 airmen might have been engaged, and a total of 100,000 persons when ground crews and others engaged directly and indirectly were taken into account. From 40 to 60 airfields might be used. From July 24 to July 31 the Bomber Command made a new record by dropping 12,000 tons of bombs from aircraft based on Britain. In the. same period the Luftwaffe dropped between 60 and 70 tons of bombs on Britain. The commentator added that in the first week of the assault on Sicily 15,000 sorties were made, over 6000 tons of bombs dropped and over 300 euemy aircraft destroyed. Over 500 aircraft were based on Malta and Gozo (a small island of the Maltese group four miles north-west of Malta itself, where an airfield was made in 18 days), and night fighters from these islands destroyed 46 long-range enemy bombers in that first week.

From Britain, the Fighter Command made over 11,060 offensive sorties in July, which is a record.

The Air Ministry says that these record fighter and bomber activities in July included about 100 locomotives destroyed or badly damaged by lighters and fighterbombers, not including locomotives destroyed or damaged during attacks on railway centres.