FIRES STILL BURNING

Evening Star, Issue 24917, 15 July 1943, Page 5

FIRES STILL BURNING

MANY COMBATS WITH NIGHT FIGHTERS (Rec. 11.5 a.m.) RUGBY, July 14. A few hours after last night's attack was over smoke from the fires burning at Aachen had risen to a height of four miles. This was the report of a reconnaissance pilot who flew over the town early this morning. Thick smoke was drifting away east of the town, and stretched as Jar as the pilot could see. It was a heavy attack, and there were a good number of 8,000-pounders in the big load of high explosives and incendiaries. Nearly every aircraft in one squadron of Lancasters —the squadron had more bombers operating last night than it ever put out before —carried an 8.000-pounder with incendiaries to make up the weight. The Germans depended "almost .en p tirely on night fighters to defend this

important railway centre, through! which traffic from the Ruhr is sent westwards and products from .France sent to Germany. The searchlights around the town were handicapped because bf cloud, and the flak was not heavy by German standards, but the weather along most of the route wa» ideal for night fighters. One pilot described it as " night masquerading as day," and there were combats all tha way from the coast to Aachen and back again.