GERMAN WAR INDUSTRIES

Evening Star, Issue 25325, 6 November 1944, Page 5

GERMAN WAR INDUSTRIES

ALLIED BOMBING OFFENSIVE HEAVY ATTACK ON BOCHUM LONDON, November 4. Over 1,000 Bomber Command aircraft were over Germany this evening, with Bochum as the target, says the Air Ministry. Bochum is one of, the principal centres of the Ruhr coal and iron industry, and an important advance base with three marshalling yards capable of handling 11,000 wagons every 24 hours. >

Escorted R.A.F. Bomber Command JLancasters attacked in daylight to-day the "Sheffield" of Germany—the town of Solingen, a- few miles south of the Ruhr, which is famous because of its light engineering industry, and is a useful advanced base for the German army. The bombers made a cloud attack with six markers.

The enemy was completely surprised, and the bombing was almost over before the defences could get going. For the first time in daylight the Germans shot up a number of "scarecrows," which have often been used at night to give the impression of aircraft falling in flames. No fighters came near the bombers or the escort. The bombing was very concentrated, the smoke rising B,oooft when the bombers left.

The Air Ministry states that R.A.F. Mosquitoes, without loss, attacked Berlin last night. MORE SURPRISES TO COME. " We have given the enemy surprises in the air, and there will be more to come, so we must expect the Germans in their turn .to produce new weapons which will be militarily less futile than flying bombs," declared the Secretary fpr Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair,.speaking at Hull. He said) the whole operational strength of the Luftwaffe's long-range bomber force was now only one quarter of what it was in June, 1940, whereas Bomber Command could now drop nearly 20 times the tonnage it could then. In addition, the United States army air forces in Britain and in Italy were now dropping as much as Bomber Command. Sir Archibald Sinclair said that in the past six months. Bomber Command dropped as big a tonnage of bombs as it had! in all the previous months of the war put together. In October, Bomber Command and the U.S.A.A.F. working.from Britain dropped 100,000 tons, which was far greater than the entire weight of bombs, including flying bombs, Germany had dropped on Britain in the whole course of the war. Bomber Command in 24 hours had dropped more than twice the tonnage the Germans had dropped on Britain during the four months and a-half since they first launched flying bombs. Yet in October Bomber Command's rate loss in night attacks on Germany was less than one-eighth of what it was in June, and was encouragingly low even in daylight attacks.