STETTIN'S TURN

Evening Star, Issue 25067, 7 January 1944, Page 3

STETTIN'S TURN

BALTIC PORT BLASTED FEINT CONFUSES DEFENCES (ißoc. 11 a.m.) RUGBY, January 6. Bomber Command planes in bright moonlight last night heavily attacked the Baltic port and industrial town of Stettin, states an Air Ministry communique. First reports indicate that the bombing was well concentrated. Mosquitoes bombed Berlin and objectives in western Germany and northern France. Fifteen planes are missing. The Press Association's aviation correspondent says Stettin is Germany's chief seaport on the Baltic for supplying the armies on the Russian front. It is also the centre of shipbuilding, machinery, chemicals, cement, and oil refining. The last heavy raid was last April, on the night of Hitler's birthday, when a large force devastated the industrial heart of the town and extensively damaged the docks. The latest raid had an added significance in view of the Germans', serious position on the Russian front. Alarmed at the danger to Berlin, the Luftwaffe again sent fighter packs to defend the capital, leaving the door wide open for a great force of Lancaster, with a smaller number of Halitaxes, to get through to Stettin. Judging from what happened, said au R.A.F. station commander, the Germans become so rattled whenever our bombers approach that Berlin comes first and the rest* a long way behind. Over 1.000 tons of bombs were dropped on Stettin. The Germans seemed hopelessly confused by the light force of Mosquitoes which 'bombed Berlin for a quarter of an hour before the attack on Stettin, which is under 100 miles from Berlin, and almost at any point of the last stages of the journey the main force might have turned and made for the capital. The German fighters started to arrive at Stettin as the attack finished.

The bombers had brilliant moonlight over the target. Pathfinders dropped visual markers, illuminating the target almost as brilliantly as daylight, and then laid target indicators. The flak was insufficient to interfere with the bombing, and Stettin was'Well alight, said a pilot. All the fires seemed to be in the middle of the target area, and the glow on the clouds could be seen over 150 miles awa.v. OFFENSIVE SWEEPS.

The Air Ministry states that no loss was suffered by R.A.F. and Allied medium bombers or. R.A.F. fighterbombers which yesterday attacked military objectives in northern France. R.A.F. and dominion fighters swept over a large area without incident. Dominion and Allied fighters covered the return of U.S.A.A.F. heavy bombers from an attack on Tours airfield. The Air Ministry says R.A.F. light bombers and fighter-.bom'bers in small formations again attacked military objectives in northern France on Thursday morning. .-. R.A.F. and • Allied fighters escorted the light bombers and destroyed an enemy fighter. R.C.A.F. fighters flying in supporting sweeps destroyed two enemy fighters. One fighter and one fighter-bomber are missing.