RUHR AND BERLIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 May 1943, Page 5

RUHR AND BERLIN

R.A.F.’s HEAVY ATTACK

ANOTHER 34 BOMBERS MISSING (Rec. 9.45 a.m.) LONDON, May 14. Bomber Command planes in very great strength last night attacked targets in Central Ruhr and Czechoslovakia. Bombs were also dropped on Berlin. Thirty-four bombers are missing. Fighter Command ■ Whirlwinds, Bostons and Mosquitoes intruded over a wide area of occupied territory. , Some crossed the German frontier in search of military targets. A Whirlwind bombed and damaged a minesweeper off Boulogne. The Air Ministry states that Mitchells of the Bomber Command, escorted by fighters, attacked .the railway yards at Boulogne on Thursday morning. Six enemy fighters were destroyed. One bomber and two fighters are missing. <• Later in the day Typhoon bombers escorted by fighters attacked the airfield at Abbeville, and Bostons of Bomber Command attacked targets in Cherbourg harbour. None is missing. LAI Lix.

Over a thousand tons of bombs were dropped last night in a very heavy attack on the Central Rhur. Reconnaissance at daylight shows that large fires were still burning at Bochum.

FIGHTERS ENGAGED RUGBY, May 14. 1 Fighter Command Spitfires engaged in offensive operations over Northern France and Belgium, to-day, shot idown eight enemy fighters for the doss of one, states the Air Ministry News Service. In the last twenty-four hours our fighters destroyed in daylight operations twenty enemy aircraft for the loss of eight. Canadian Fighter pilots again distinguished themselves by shooting down four enemy aircraft, making the score eleven in two days. One of ' the Canadian Wings is led by an English Wing Commander, who himself accounted for one of the Germans. [Two Toronto pilots who had friendly •competition and whose scores were level- each bagged another enemy air- ■ craft. The famous Battle of Britain sector which is nearing the thousandth kill brought the score to 998 by destroying three German fighters in a series ■of dogfights over the coast of Belgium. . An FW 190 was shot down in flames iby a Fighting French pilot. Another pilot in the same sector made an attack on an ME 109. Both aircraft collided, broke up and went down in flames. This was the only casualty the .Fighter Command suffered during the day.

CHELMSFORD RAIDED

LONDON, May 14

The Berlin radio stated that the Luftwaffe heavily raided Chelmsford (Essex). It is now known that three enemy aircraft were destroyed over Britain last night.

SWEDES FIRE ON PLANE

LONDON, May 14

Anti-aircraft guns hit a German plane which flew over the Ystadtrelleborg region yesterday. Swedish fighters went up, but the intruder 'made off before contact could be made.