SEVERITY OF DAMAGE Twin German Cities

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 1, 27 September 1943, Page 5

SEVERITY OF DAMAGE Twin German Cities

(British Official Wireless.) (Received September 26, 7.50 p.m.), RUGBY, September 20. Large numbers of fires were still burning in the twin German cities; of Mannheim and Ludwigshaven yesterday afternoon, many hours after the Bomber Command’s heavy attack on Thursday night. Smoke still hung over a large part of the cities. The fresh damage done that night was severe, specially in the dock, central and Neekar Stadt areas. Good visibility over Mannheim and Ludwigshaven meant that mght,-hghters __ were given the responsibility of defending the target, states the Air Ministry news service. There was no moon, so the (jermans used a great number of searchlights tto silhouette the bombers Fighters dropped flares, which they tried to get in line along both the ingoing and outgoing tracks of bombers The result was two lanes of flares almost at right angles to each other. . There were many combats, and nrst reports show that a good number of the enemy were destroyed or damaged, lilots say that it was easy to identify the dock area and other parts of -Mannheim _ or Ludwigshaven. Fires were soon burning. They were in the shape of a star, with the main blaze in the centre and other fires radiating from it, one crew stated. The night’s offensive, including attacks on Aix-la-Chapelle and another town, cost the R.A.F. 32 bombers. R.A.F. fighters on intruder patrols over Germany and France shot down four German aircraft. It is known that heavy damage was done when Manheim and Ludwigshaven were last attacked on September 5. The main railway station was severely damaged, and transhipment sheds and warehouses were gutted. A large part of .the Ludwigshaven railway repair shops was burnt out. ’ , . - ~ , It is now known that m the attack on Hanover on Wednesday night very heavy damage was done by fire to the Wollewascherie works, the second largest wool-combers in Germany. The damage done to the Nordwelle woolcombing factory at Basemen last year had an important effect on the clothing situation of the German armies in Russia during the winter.

AIRFIELD AND CONVOY,

Attacks By Allied Planes

(British Official Wireless.) (Received September 26, 8.5 p.m.)

RUGBY, September 25. United States Eighth Air Force Marauders, escorted and supported by R.A.r., Dominion and Allied Spitfires, attacked the Longuenesse airfield at St. Omer this afternoon. All returned safely. A medium-sized merchant vessel was hit by a torpedo when Coastal Command Beaufighters, escorted by Spitfires, attacked a large enemy convoy off the Dutch coast today. The escorting vessels, were also attacked with cannon and machinegun fire. The Beaufighters encountered stiff opposition, several of the pilots saying that they had never seen so much tracer before. Two Beaufighters are missing. ’