AIR ONSLAUGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 48, 26 February 1945, Page 5

AIR ONSLAUGHT

PLANES OVER THE REICH

MUNICH A MAIN TARGET

LONDON, February 25.

Railway yards\at Munich were one of the main targets today, when more than 1150 American heavy bombers from Britain went over the Reich. More than 500 Fortresses were sent to Munich alone. Two more junctions on main lines in southern Germany were bombed also. Other targets were two airfields, a tank assembly plant, and a big underground oil storage centre hidden in woods between Munich and Nuremberg. "While 500 American fighters escorted the bombers. 200 more went ground strafing over a wide area of northern and central Germany.

R.A.F. Lancasters, for the second day running, bombed the synthetic oil plant at Kamen, near Dortmund. The Germans repaired 'this plant after the raid last September, and they were beginning to get a quarter of its output.

More squadrons of British Mosquitoes, in brilliant moonlight, last night attacked the centre of Berlin with 40001b bombs.

American heavy bombers from Italy today attacked communications in Austria, and fighters strafed railways south of Munich.

Liberators and Fortresses attacked communications inside Linz, which is a bottleneck for railway traffic to and from Vienna, Regensburg, Salzburg, and Munich.

Medium bombers continued into the sixth day of operations against the Brenner Pass. Mitchells hit the Brenner line bridge at Vitipeno, six miles from the Austrian border and the most northerly point ever bombed by Mediterranean-based medium bombers.

ON THE BATTLEFRONT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) Rec. 9 a.m. LONDON, February 25.

Medium bombers, light bombers, and fighter-bombers of the Ninth Air Force yesterday flew more than 1700 sorties, ' attacking targets on the Cologne Plain for the loss of seven bombers and two fighter-bombers, reports the Exchange Telegraph agency's correspondent at SHAEF.

Reuters correspondent with the Second Tactical Air Force says that British, New Zealand, Canadian, Norwegian, and Dutch pilots took the air in very great strength yesterday to renew the all-out assault on the German battlefront positions, aerodromes, communications in Germany, and V 2 supply lines. They flew 1400 sorties and reported all-round successes. British and Canadian pilots made rocket and cannon attacks ahead of the Allied troops pushing down the highway from Goch and also attacked the communication centres of Udem and Kalkar. Other planes cut V 2 supply lines in 48 places. It is now probable that all the V 2 supply lines have been cut. even if only temporarily.

The correspondent added that it is revealed that the Tactical Air Force is using a new deadly anti-personnel bomb which explodes on the way down, releasing 26 smaller 201b bombs which in turn descend by parachute and explode just before impact. They have proved a terrible weapon against German troop and vehicle concentrations. Tempests of the Tactical Air Force left thousands of gallons of oil and petrol burning after making attacks yesterday morning and afternoon against storage tanks north-east of Hanover. Three oil trains and ten tanks were left blazing.

Bomber Command planes were also over Germany yesterday afternoon, with a synthetic oil plant at Kamen, near Dortmund, as' the main objective.

It is officially stated that since the R.A.F. opened the aerial onslaught on February 14 with a saturation raid against Dresden, Germany has been hit by about 16,500 heavy bombers. The Bomber Command alone has sent forces of 1400, 1300 (twice), 1200, and ! 1100. In the same period the U.S.A.A.F. has sent over 10,000 heavy bombers, with 5000 escorting fighters. Fortresses and Liberators based in Italy, in spite of bad weather yesterday, crossed the Alps for the twelfth successive day to attack targets at Graz, Klageniurt, and South Austria. BRENNER PASS BATTLE. The Exchange Telegraph agency's Rome correspondent says that Mitchell bombers yesterday completed their 150 th mission in the Brenner Pass battle. Bombs which were dropped on bridges at San Michele and Lavis brought the total since last November to 5000. It is officially stated, that four bombers and eleven fighters are missing from an attack against oil refineries at Hamburg, Harburg, and Misburg. Bomber Command Mosquitoes last night bombed Berlin.

Detailing operations by heavy bombers and medium bombers yesterday, the Mediterranean air communique says that heavy bombers which attacked marshalling yards and l'ailway bridges in northern Italy obtained especially good results at Verona and Ferrara. R.A.F. heavy bnmbers and medium bombers last night hit the marshalling yards at Brescia, and medium bombers yesterday also attacked an assembly plant at Sestocalenda, north-west of Milan, and a factory at Sermida, in northern Italy. Fighter-bombers and fighters ranged over north-eastern Italy and made many railway cuts and destroyed railway and road bridges. Planes of the Coastal Air Force attacked targets in north-western and north-eastern Italy and Yugoslavia. Planes of the Balkan Air Force bombed railway targets and enemy positions in Yugoslavia. Nine Allied planes are missing.