MARAUDERS OVER FRANCE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 116, 11 February 1944, Page 5

MARAUDERS OVER FRANCE

Three Raids In 36 Hours 3 (British Official Wireless and' Press Assn.)

RUGBY, February 9. Strong formations of A.A.F. andR.A.F. medium, light and fighterbombers swept across the Channel in sunny weather this morning to continue the hard-hitting attacks on military objectives along the northern coast of France and against strategically important railway yards further inland. By noon hundreds of aircraft had returned from widespread operations in, north-east France. They had not reported a single encounter with enemy fighters. Operations started before dawn, when ground crews in southern England bombed up Typhoons and Hurricanes which flew out across the Channel before breakfast to open the assault on military objectives at Pas de Calais. Fighter-bomb-ers, escorted by Typhoon fighters, reported many bomb bursts in the target areas. They encountered heavy, medium and light flak, but reported a complete absence of enemy fighters. Flying their third mission in 30 hours, Marauders penetrated more than 100 miles over France to batter railway yards and engine repair sheds at Tergnier, an important railway junction and distributing centre midway between St. Quentin and Soissons. It is the deepest inland that Marauders have flown since they began operating from English bases last July. This stinging cross-Channel offensive, which went on all day, has now been in progress for nearly two months. One feature has been the damaging blows done to Luftwaffe bases and assembly and repair depots. ' Fighter Umbrellas."

Other waves of Marauders, all flying under an umbrella of R.A.F., Dominion and Allied Spitfires, simultaneously raided military objectives in the Pas de Calais area. In all, more than 200 of these medium bombers crossed the Channel. The Marauder crews said that the attack on Tergnier caught the enemy by surprise, and they reported direct bomb hits on huge engine repair shops and sheds and freight trains in railway yards. A long freight train was pulling out of the yards as the Marauders attacked. A bombardier said that his formation's bombs ripped up the centre of the marshpiling yards and blew a number of freight 'trains sky-high. R.A.F. Mitchell and Boston bombers went out in strength to attack targets in northern France. All returned. Among them were the Lorraine (Free French) Boston squadron and Mitchells of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service.

Low-level attacks, again without loss, were made by R.A.F. and R.A.A.F. Mosquitoes.

The Air Ministry states: “Last night aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked objectives in Germany and France, including the Gnome-Rhone aero engine factory at Limoges. One of our aircraft on intruder patrol destroyed a six-engined enemy flying-boat over its base on the west coast of France. None of our aircraft is missing.” A flying-boat was shot down over Bi«carosse, near Bordeaux, by an R.A.F.