SECOND DOUBLE BLOW

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 150, 26 June 1943, Page 5

SECOND DOUBLE BLOW

R.A.F. and U.S. Air Force

HEAVY RAIDS ON GERMANY

Bee. 11 a.m. BUGBY, June 25. Bombers of the R.A.F. and of the American Eighth Air Force have delivered another double blow against Germany. The K.A.F. last night made its second heavy attack on Wuppertal, concentrating' this time on Elberfeld, which received a weight of bombs nearly as heavy as Barmen did when over 1000 acres were devastated. The Germans had pushed the outer ring' of defences to the coast, and the attack was pressed home in the face of strong* opposition. Thirty-three of our bombers, including eight Canadian aircraft, are missing 1. Not many, hours after the R.A.F. raid on Wuppertal a large force of unescorted Flying' Fortresses attacked in daylight targets in north-west Germany. Adverse weather was encountered and observation of the targets was difficult. There was also strong* fighter opposition, and many enemy aircraft were destroyed by the bombers. Eighteen of the American planes are missing.

The Germans last night tried to make a bigger effort than ever to hold off the bombers from the Ruhr area. Scores of searchlights and a heavy barrage greeted them. Crews reported that "the coast defences had obviously been strengthened, but a far. more intense struggle awaited them" when they i*eached the Ruhr on. the way to Elberfeld, one of the towns which forms Wuppertal, states the Air Ministry news service.

firm that the air attack against Krefeld was an unprecedented success, says "The Times." * In addition to enormous damage inflicted on industrial enterprises such as the Krefelder Stahlwerke, it says, great destruction has been wrought on supplies and stores which were awaiting dispatch to the U-boat bases in France. All of Germany's direct rail traffic from the north-west had been dislocated for some time by the almost continuous bombardment of the Ruhr, and as a consequence the Krefeld

Huge belts of searchlights tried- to spotlight the bombers, and light and heavy guns plumbed flak through the' beams. One pilot was caught in searchlights for 20 minutes when he reached the Ruhr area, and was hit several times before he reached his objective. The ''Germans' reinforced the defences by sending up many night fighters. j Despite all opposition, the bombers arrived over Elberf eld on time, and fires, were soon started. One bomber was hit by incendiaries from above. These fell into the bomb bay ancl the doors were opened to let them drop out. The heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force encountered a solid wall of j clouds as they reached the German | coast. Ploughing through a foglike Dank, the bombers broke through into stretches of bright sunlight, but the ground was totally obscured. Out of the clouds came swarms of enemy fighters to dive upon some of the groups. Countless individual battles raged as the big bombers slipped into and through the clouds and back into bx-ight sunlight, always urging on towards their .'target New relays of enemy fighters joined in the melee, and the battle became fiercer. A large number of enemy planes is known to have been destroyed, but it is doubtful if the exact number can be determined, as the visibility was too poor to ? perroit observation of .results., of the scores of encounters. When the bombers had reached the spot where the instruments told them they should find their objectives, . clouds still obscured the ground in most places. Some of the heavies found rifts and dived through them, searching for the target. In no instance was it possible to observe the bombing results satisfactorily' while over northwest Germany. The battle continued as the formation turned for home, and encounters were many on the return journey.— b;o.w.

station and marshalling yards were crammed. Trains are trying to pass the congested areas by circuitous routes. Considerable quantities of motorised equipment from the Eastern Front are awaiting dispatch to France. The destruction at Krefeld station means that German rail traffic to the west is also at a standstill. The neutral Press emphasises that many U-boat motors which were awaiting dispatch at the Maybach Motorenwerke, in Friedrichshafen,- were destroyed. Bombs also fell on the Dormer' aircraft factory at Manzell, | near Friedrichshafen. German official figures state that there are 6000 dead as a result of the raid on Barmen.