KIEL HEAVILY BOMBED

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 April 1943, Page 5

KIEL HEAVILY BOMBED

BIG FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

AMERICANS RAID ANTWERP

LONDON, April 5. “Aircraft of the Bomber Command were over Germany in great strength last night to attack the naval base and shipbuilding yards at Kiel,” says an Air Ministry communique. “Heavy cloud made full observation of the results impossible, but large fires were seen in the target area. Twelve bombers are missing.” This was the seventy-first attack on Kiel by the Royal Air Force, and the first since last October.

RUGBY, April 5. R.A.F. bombers in great strength last night attacked Kiel, Germany’s naval headquarters. The zero hour was 11 p.m., and soon afterwards a bank of cloud over Kiel began glowing with the reflected light from the flares dropped by the first arrival. A few minutes later the glow deepened and changed to red as Kiel’s buildings started burning. The pilot of a Lancaster dived down through the clouds and found big fires blazing in the target area. “There was a big explosion below,” he said, “and all the clouds about us were lit up by a bright red glow, which lasted two or three seconds.” The pilot of a Stirling who did not make his bombing run until towards the end of the attack said the clouds were glowing a steady, unchanging red when he arrived. “After the bombing,” he said, “we turned for home, and I suppose we must have done about 40 miles when my rear gunner shouted out over the intercommunication phone that he had just seen a big explosion in the target area.” ATTACK ON ANTWERP.

RUGBY, April 5

It is officially announced that a large force of Fortresses and Liberators of the United States Eighth Air Force attacked German-held industrial targets at Antwerp in daylight, to-day. The weather over the target was clear, and good bombing results were achieved.

Fighter opposition was heavy and many combats ensued, the bombers destroying a number of enemy aircraft. Squadrons of the R.A.F. and Dominion and Allied fighters supported and covered the bombers. They had several engagements with the enemy fighters, two of which were destroyed. Four bombers and one fighter are missing. The Berlin radio announced that four-engined American bombers, this afternoon, attacked the town district of Antwerp. It added that direct hits on blocks of buildings caused fires, damage, and casualties. Many people were buried under the debris. The main target of to-day’s daylight raid by the U.S.A.A.F. on Antwerp was the Erla Aero Works, formerly the Miners’ Automobile factory, and now serving as a German aircraft and engine repair plant. Today’s was the first U.S.A.A.F. attack on Antwerp.

BREST AGAIN ATTACKED

RUGBY, April 5. The Air Ministry states: This afternoon, Venturas of the Bomber Command, escorted by fighters, attacked the clocks and shipping at Brest. There was some opposition by enemy fighters, one of which was destroyed by our fighters. Three bombers and one fighter are missing.

RAID NEAR PARIS.

LONDON, April 5

“The Germans threw swarms of their crack yellow-nosed Messerschmitts into the air combats which developed after the United States Air Force raid on Billancourt, where the Fortresses dropped their loads practically down the smoke-stacks.” says the British United Press correspondent at a Fortress base somewhere in England. He adds: “There appeared io be training aeroplanes also among the attackers which assailed the Fortresses for half an hour after the target was left. The pilots agreed that the opposition was the stiffest so far put up against them. The Berlin radio said that American bombers attacked the town area of Paris and dropped bombs in residential areas, killing more than 100 persons. Paris radio announced that April 7 has been fixed for the funeral of the Bilancourt dead. It will be a day of mourning; all amusements will be closed and race meetings prohibited.

ENEMY SHIPS SUNK

RUGBY, April 5

Two heavy laden merchantmen were definitely sunk and a third severely damaged, when Coastal Command torpedo aircraft attacked a German convoy off the Norwegian coast yesterday, states the Air Ministry News Service. Beaufighters took the convoy completely by surprise and sank the two vessels within a few minutes.

FERRY COMMAND

(Recd. 9 a.m.) z> SYDNEY, April 6

Twin-engined fighters are among the planes being ferried across vast stretches of the ocean under thenown power, from United States factories to the world’s battle fronts. This has been revealed by MajorGeneral Harold George, Chief of the United States Air Transport Command. who is now visiting Australia. He took a leading part in perfecting plans for the American daylight bombing attacks on Germany. Outlining the vast expansion ol the Ferry Command in all theatres of war he told correspondents here that it was now four times greater than the strength of the entire American air force of four years ago. Ferry Command aircraft were taking personnel and supplies to Allied forces m Britain, Iceland. China. India, Africa, Alaska, and Australia. Combat planes were also flown to these theatres. He claimed that the Ferry Command had clone much to stop Rommel’s drive in Egypt last yeai • Planes of the Command flew vital anti-tank ammunition from America to Africa in four days.

STILL BETTER MACHINES

RUGBY, April 5. Medium bombers being produced in the United States include a twm-en-gined machine better than the Focke Wulf and very much faster than any twin-engined machine now in use. Its name is still a secret. This was stated in London by Sir Roy Fedden, who with ten aircraft production engineers, has just returned to England after a three months’ tour of America. Sir Roy added that a super-heavy bomber was on the way. designed to carry a larger bomb load and fly faster and much further than the heaviest British bomber. Dive-bombers, too, were being built in big-quantities. A very formidable family of transport planes, including tank 'carriers, were coming forward in large numbers, and it was expected that the figure would be more than doubled by the end of the year. Four times as many engines were being made as in Britain. Sir Roy also expressed pleasure with the family of fighters being produced. The growth of the United States aircraft industry was tremendous.