SINGAPORE DOCK

Evening Star, Issue 25400, 3 February 1945, Page 7

SINGAPORE DOCK

DESTROYED BY SUPER-FORTRESSES HEAVIEST RAID STAGED IN PACIFIC THEATRE WASHINGTON, February 1. " Japanese naval installations on Singapore were raided to-day by a large force of Super-Fortresses from India, says a Twentieth Air Force communique. Visual bombing was accomplished, with good to excellent results. We destroyed two planes and probably six more, and damaged eight. All our planes returned. Headquarters of the Twentieth Air Force also announces that diversionary forces olf considerable size attacked and set fire to installations in Georgetown Harbour, Penang. Pilots returning from the Singapore raid said that the whole of the Georgetown area was in flames. Reconnaissance pictures show that the mass Super-Fortress attack on the Singapore naval base resulted in the destruction of the great floating dry dock, which was capable of taking the largest warship afloat, says the Associated .Press correspondent, writing from the Fortress base in India. Photographs showed that the dock was sunk and a ship in the dock set on fire. FLAK AND FIGHTERS. It was one of the biggest mass SuperFortress raids yet staged in this theatre. At 9 o'clock in the morning wave after wave of aircraft ifrom the Twentieth Bomber Command rained I,ooolb bombs on the port installations. The raid involved a round trip of 3,800 miles, much of it over sea, and over 18 hours' continuous flying. The approach to the target was hotly contested by flak from naval ack-ack guns, and at least 20 fighters were counted in the target area. One 829 returned to base on two and a-half engines. One engine was put out of action in a fierce tussle with a fighter, and the aircraft was shepherded by other bombers. It made the 1,800 miles' flight, plus the return journey, mainly_ through the persistence of its captain. The crew threw out everything movable to keep the plane in the air.