RUHR RAIDS RESUMED

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 June 1943, Page 5

RUHR RAIDS RESUMED

DUSSELDORF AND BOCHUM

SIXTY-SEVEN R.A.F. LOSSES

LONDON, June 13, | Bombers of the Royal Air Force; were again over the Ruhr in great j strength last night. The main target; was Bochum, an important arms and transport centre. Twenty-four bomb-. ers are missing. . 1 So many aircraft were engaged m bombing Bochum that one pilot de- ■■ scribing his experiences, said his chief r worry was trying to avoid collisions. ; Although the raid was not so heavy . as the record attack on Dusseldorf ther previous night, over five 4000-pound-ers were going down every minute, states the Air Ministry New Ser- ) vices. This, of course, was in addi- . tion to tens of thousands of incendiaries, and hundreds of other high- .’ explosive bombs. . ~ , , y A bomb load of considerably more/ than that of over 2000 tons which tell I on Dortmund on May 23 was dropped L

on Dusseldorf and Muenster on Thursday night when the Bomber Command resumed the Battle of the Ruhr. The combined attack was the heaviest of the whole war. Fortythree bombers are missing from both raids. , ~ Weather conferences were hem at frequent intervals throughout the day and the evening was well advanced before the Commander-in-Chief (Sir Arthur Harris) gave the, final order. The main attack was on Dusseldorf, whose heavy engineering industries make it one. of the most important war towns in Germany. The great Rheinmetall Borsig works are a close rival to Krupps. The other target, Muenster, 50 miles north-east of the Ruhr, is the centre, of railways and waterways on which many Ruhr industries depend. Three hundred and eighty acres of Dusseldorf were devastated in the Summer of 1942 and a heavy attack was made on March 25. , + Crews last night reported that pitch .black volumes of smoke about 20,000 feet high rose from the target after the attack and there were huge fires burning underneath. “I have never seen anything like it before, said one pilot. Another airman said: “When we got into the rising smoke

our Lancaster suddenly leapt upwards. We could feel the heat and smoke which blackened our Windows.” Most of the crew agreed that even at the beginning the flak was not up to the Ruhr standard. The ground defences gave no sign of life until the first bombs wtre dropped. Then the barrage was fairly intense, but it was soon overwhelmed by the weight of. the attack. Very few guns were firing at the end. but there were many reports of night fighters. “I should say the attack was definitely another ad-1 vance for us in the Battle of the Ruhr,” said a squadron commander. “We were all determined to knock the war factories of the Ruhr right out.” The weather over Muenster was equally favourable, and all reports agree that the attack was successful. The opposition was not severe and the targets were readily identified. On Saturday morning at least 10 fires with high columns of smoke were burning.

RECORD NUMBERS USED

Experts consider that this is the biggest air raid week-end ever. It is estimated that between 2500 and 3000 < Allied aeroplanes pierced Hitler’s European fortress. The loss of 43 • bombers in a single night attack over Germany is not light, but is regarded as not excessive in view of the scale of the attack and the destruction caused to such an important centre. The actual number of bombers which / crowded over Dusseldorf for just 'over an hour is not disclosed, but it was the greatest number since the days of the 1000-bomber raids and included the biggest number of four-j engined aircraft ever used on one night. The Press Association’s aviation writer says that he is assured we have the air crews and the aeroplanes sufficient to launch these great ■ onslaughts until the Reich industrial centres are bombed into submission just as surely as Pantelleria. The main object of the subsidiary attack on Muenster was probably twofold to confuse and split the German defences, and prevent the interchange of civil defence services, especially fire fighters. A Berlin broadcaster admitted that fires were still burning at noon on Friday. A war reporter told the story of a raid, evidently against Dusseldorf. He said: “I am now looking at burnt-out places, where flames are still flaring up, but we tired people must carry on our work. A great deal happened last night. We realise what it means to be exposed to such dangers.” An A.R.P. official said: “I am forced to appeal for help from outside, as the local organisation is insufficient.”

I OFFENSIVE CONTINUED

RUGBY, June 13

The Air Ministry states: “Aircraft of the Fighter Command carried out ilarge-scale offensive operations over (Northern France and the Low Countries, to-day. In the morning, Mitchells bombed targets at Flushing and Bostons attacked objectives at Lille. In the afternoon, Typhoons and bombers attacked the enemy airfield at Abbeville. Many squadrons of ■fighters supported the operations. One enemy fighter was destroyed by our Spitfires. Two bombers and two fighters are missing. An FW 200 was destroyed over the Bay of Biscay this morning. A New Zealand Ventura Squadron bombed the Caen airfield in daylight on the evening of June 12. It encountered much light anti-aircraft fire but little fighter opposition.

U.S.A. FORTRESSES BUSY

LONDON, June 13.

The United States Army announced that more than 200 heavy bombers of the Bth Air Force attacked Wilhelmshaven and Cuxhaven in daylight late on Friday. A large force of unescorted bombers penetrated to the U-boat yards at Wilhelmshaven against strong enemy opposition, v/hile a second formation attacked the harbour installations and submarine base at Cuxhaven. Bomb bursts were observed on both of the target areas. The leading groups in the Wilhelmshaven met fierce fighter opposition and a large number of the enemy were destroyed. Eight bombers are missing.

A communique from United States Army Headquarters' in Europe states: “Two large formations of the Eighth Air Force heavy bombers attacked the strongly defended German naval submarine centres of Kiel and Bremen in daylight on Sunday. Our bombers made penetrations into New Germany, without fighter escort, and against very strong fighter opposi - tion, which concentrated largely against the formation attacking Kiel.” BOTH SIDES YoSE HEAVILY I RUGBY, June 13. Bremen and Kiel, which account for a considerable percentage of Üboat production and servicing, were bombed effectively by the American ■ daylight raid, and many enemy fighters were destroyed. The attack occasioned the greatest air battle in

twhich the Eighth Air Force of heavy bombers has yet participated. The Eighth Air Force fightei .squadrons carried out two successful sweeps over the enemy-held coast on ; Sunday. In the morning a flight of kP 47’s pursued and engaged a score of I’enemy fighters destroying three withlout loss. In the afternoon, fighters < destroyed two more of the enemy, j From the bombing raid and these i operations twenty-six bombers and (two fighters are missing.

I KURIER CRASHED i RUGBY, June 13. A battle between two Mosquitos of .the Fighter Command and one large four-winged “Kurier,” used by Germany in long-range attacks on shipping, ana as spotters for U-boats, occurred over the Bay of Biscay, tins morning. The Mosquitos developed a 'methodical attack and sent the Kurier crashing into the sea. One Mosquito put two starboard engines out of action, while the other attacked, and wut out the port engines. One pilot said that the Kurier appeared to be struggling along with a I heavy load of petrol, and was probfably bound for a long journey out to 'sea.

DEFENCES STRENGTHENED.

RUGBY, June 13

It appeared to the 400 bombers sent to Bochum last night, that the Germans, after nearly three and a-ha't months of the battle ol the Ruhr, had strengthened their defences, haying brought up many more guns to help the outer ring of defences. One Halifax pilot said: “As soon as we reached the fringe of the Ruhr, the whole place seemed to come alive with hundreds of gun flashes. The barrage did not let up once from then on. It appeared as if the Germans had masse! guns miles deep.” Another pilot commented upon the number of searchlights. He counted over one hundred to the west of the target, and about eighty more to the east. Two huge cones of about 70 searchlights were sweeping over Munster. As the number of bombers over the target increased, the co-ordinated defence began to waver. Later arrivals founc. two large areas of fire, one in the northern district and one in the southern, and some pilots were guided to the target by the glow in the clouds. Bochum is in the eastern Ruhr, has a population of 320,000, and is the centre of the most prolific parts oi the Ruhr coal basin. It has a great number of coke oven plants, and an important steel industry. One pilot found the fires started the previous night at Munster still burning, when he flew over yesterday The two districts in particular, have been badly hit.

TARGETS IN FRANCE.

LONDON, June 12

The Air Ministry states that Venturas and Bostons on Friday evening attacked the airfield at Caen and targets near Rouen. Late in the evening Typhoons bombed, the airfield at Abbeville. Squadrons of fighters escorted the bombers and also made sweeps over a wide area in Northern France. Two enemy fighters were destroyed, and cne of our bombers is missing. A Royal Air Force fighter is missing from a patrol this morning.

GERMAN PLANES DESTROYED

RUGBY, June 13

An enernv aircraft was destroyed |by fighters off the south-east coast of England on Sunday morning, otherwise there was nothing to report during the daytime. A Norwegian pilot of the Coastal Command destroyed an enemy flying boat off the Norwegian coast on Sunday afternoon. / Formations of the United States Eighth Air Force fighters in conjunctions with R.A.F., engaged in two sweeps over enemy-occupied Europe to-day. Bombing operations resulted 'in the destruction of three Fockewulfs 190 without loss. In the afternoon in a dog-fight over Liege, two other enemy planes were brought down and others damaged. Two of our aircraft are missing from the second operation.

BOMBS ON LONDON. LONDON, June 12. High explosive bombs are reported to have been dropped in London todav. Some houses were damaged and a few persons, injured. Incendiary bombs were dropped on a south-west town. „ LATER. The Germans raided a south-west roast town in moonlight early on Sunday morning. They killed six. They caused many fires. A number were rendered homeless. LINCOLN TRAGEDY. LONDON, June 12.

Six of seven members of the crew were killed and a number of civilians •>'ere killed and injured when a British aeroplane this evening crashed in a residential area of Lincoln. The aeroplane, after fouling the roofs of two houses, ploughed through a house opposite and then burst into flames in a garden. Two houses were destroyed and four were damaged by fire.

HAVOC AT DORTMUND

RUGBY, June 13.

Dortmund is probably the . most heavily damaged city in Germany for its size, states the Air Ministry News Service. Photographs taken after the heavy raid on May 23 reveal that in the closely-packed centre of the city alone at least 150 acres has been devastated, mostly by fire, and 880 office and administration buildings in large city blocks have been destroyed or severely damaged. A vital target was the great Hoesch Company’s steel works, more than three-quar-ters of which was devastated, including three or four rolling mills, a forge, and an administrative block. The company had a huge output of castings for tanks. It is second m importance to Krupps.

DEERE’S SQUADRON.

(N.Z.r.A. Special Correspondent)

LONDON, June 12.

The Biggin Hill Wing, led by Wing Commander A. Deere, followed up their thousandth plane celebration by shooting down a German on the following day, Deere in addition damaging one. Then the next day, Flight-Lieutenant J. Checketts, of I nvercargill, who was also at the shot down his second FockeWulf 190 during a sweep over the Somme area. Checketts said: 1 missed him twice, but the third time I came up under him. He went down in flames and probably never knew what hit him.” The Wing’s score now stands at 1028.

LEND-LEASE

WASHINGTON, June 12.

The Office of War Information reveals that the R.A.F. under reciprocal J end-lease, supplied the United States Air Force to March 1, with 675 aircraft including a large proportion of Spitfires, as well as communication training types, and also considerable equipment. The R.A.F. also supplied radio location equipment and personnel for the North African campaign.