AIR ASSAULT

Evening Star, Issue 25419, 26 February 1945, Page 5

AIR ASSAULT

4,000-POPERS ON BERLIN BRILLIANT MOON AIDS MOSQUITOES AMERICAN HEAVIES ATTACK INDUSTRIAL TARGETS (Rec. 11 a.m.) RUGBY. Feb. 25. When many squadrons or Mosquitoes of It.A.F. Bomber Command, carrying 4,000-pounders, attacked Berlin on Saturday night, the crews saw their objectives much more clearly than on most recent night attacks on the German capital. There was little cloud and a brilliant moon, and many Berlin landmarks were easily identified. The main concentration of bombs, aimed at accurately-placed groundmarkers, was reported in the area between the Unter den Linden and the Tempelhof aerodrome. The flashes of the 4,000-pounders lit up whole streets, and the crews saw large fires starting, with volumes of smoke pouring up. Many searchlights were turned on, but the flak was not very heavy. In the past week Mosquitoes 'have made seven attacks on Berlin. Twice they made two separate attacks each night. Neuss was also bombed, and mines laid in enemy waters on Saturday night. Night intruder aircraft of Bomber Command attacked airfields, and Fighter Command Mosquitoes on intruder patrol over Germany destroyed two enemy aircraft. On Saturday afternoon an attack was made on the synthetic oil plant at Kamen, near Dortmund. Aircraft of the R.A.F. Fighter Command escorted the bombers. From these operations six bombers are missing. Over 1,150 United States Liberators and Fortresses attacked the rail yards at Munich, Aschaffenburg, and Ulm, the airfields at Giebelstadt and Schwabisch-Hall, a tank assembly plant at Aschaffenburg, and an underground oil storage plant at Neuberg. Approximately 500 Mustangs and Thunderbolts escorted the bombers, while 200 other Mustangs carried out a ground’ strafing attack over a wide area of North and Central Germany from Hamburg to south of Berlin.