HEAVY OPPOSITION OVERCOME

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 310, 25 September 1943, Page 7

HEAVY OPPOSITION OVERCOME

Bombing Of Hanover, TARGETS IN FRANCE

AND HOLLAND (British Official Wireless.) (Received September 24, 8.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 23. R.A.F. boomuer crews met and overcame very heavy enemy fighter opposition in last Hight’s operations against Hanover, in Germany and elsewhere, states the Air Ministry uews service. All the defence areas on the route went into action. Fighters were in the air far away from Tie target zones and many fighters were iu waiting over the main target. The bomber crews reported that the ground gunners kept their fire down while German lighters were on patrol overhead. Above the bombers, enemy aircraft dropped flares to assist the Messerschmitts and, Junkers which were waiting for a chance to intercept. .Searchlights were working singly or in cones of 50 beams, but the ground gunners, played a comparatively minor role in the defence and as the weight of the attack increased enemy anti-aircraft fire began to die down. Several German night lighters were shot down. . Fighters attacked airfields in Germany and Holland. Berlin radio says that the R.A.F. raided northern and north-west Germany last night. Berlin was among the targets, but night-fighters and the ground defences prevented the raiders reaching their objectives. Diversity of Targets. It is officially slated: “Widespread attacks on targets in France and Holland were made this morning by United States Eighth Army Air Force and R.A.F. bombers and fighters. Flying Fortresses, escorted by Thunderbolts, bombed, docks and shipyards at Nantes and the VanuesMeueon and Kerlin-Bastard airfields in western France. Many enemy fighters were encountered in the Nantes attack and 13 were destroyed, nine. by the Fortresses. and four by the Thunderbolts. Two more enemy fighters were destroyed by the Fortresses attacking the KerlinBastard airfield. Marauders attacked an airfield at Touches, in Normandy. Morlaix airfield in Brittany was bombed by Whirlwinds and two attacks were made, by Typhoon bombers on Poulmie airfield, near Brest. Mitchells bombed air-strip targets at Rouen and Typhoons attacked the harbour entrance at Wemeldinge and shipping off the Dutch coast. R.A.F. Boston and Allied fighters escorted and covered the bombers and made supporting sweeps; ‘'One of the heavy bombers and two fighters are missing.” Flying Fortresses escorted by Thunderbolts this afternoon attacked docks and shipyards at Nantes for a second time today and Marauders escorted by Spitfires attacked the airfield of BeauvaisTille. R.A.F. lighters destroyed a further nine German fighters on offensive operations this afternoon in which three of our fighters were lost. AGAIN OVER REICH Germans Report Raid On Twin Cities LONDON, September 24. R.A.F. bombers were over Germany again last night. There is no official report of the raid, but the Germans say that the twin cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshaven oil the upper Rhine were raided.

These cities were last attacked on September 5, when 1500 tons of bombs were dropped on chemical and other factories iu both places.