AERIAL INVASION

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 May 1944, Page 5

AERIAL INVASION

U.S.A. MASS ATTACKS LUFTWAFFE’S HEAVY LOSSES LONDON, May 14. A strong force of United States Flying Fortresses and Liberators of the Bth Air Force attacked the aircraft assembly plant at Tutow on the Baltic coast, the railway marshalling yards at Osnabruck, and other industrial targets in Germany on Saturday. They were escorted by very strong forces of fighters. A United States Army An* Force communique says that the bombers encountered no enemy fighter, opposition at Osnabruck, but the formations attacking Tutow and also military targets in the Stettin area and elsewhere in Germany met strong, resistance from enemy interceptors. The escorting Lightnings, Mustangs, and Thunderbolts drove off and destroyed many enemy fighters before the enemy could reach the bombers. Mustangs of the 2nd Tactical Air Force operated with the United States heavy bombers in their attack, which included the synthetic oil refinery at Poelitz, a suburb of Stettin. The heavy bombers taking part numbered '5OO, while the fighter escort was in the -neighbourhood of 800. Fifty-four enemy fighters were reported shot down by Allied fighters and nine by bombers. A number ol enemy aircraft on the ground were also shot up by the fighters. Twelve bombers.and 10 fighters are missing. OIL PLANTS ATTACKED

Many hundreds of United States Flying' Fortresses and Liberators of the Bth Air Force attacked five of Germany’s biggest synthetic oil plants on Friday. With the escorting Thunderbolts, Lightnings, and Mustangs, the force totalled at least 1500 aircraft.

“Four major synthetic oil plants in the Leipzig area of Germany and one at Brux, in former Czechoslovakia, were attacked to-day by very strong forces of Fortresses and Liberators,” says an official United States communique. Other targets in Germany were also bombed. Equally great forces of Thunderbolts, Lightnings and. Mustangs provided escort and support. The bombing was well concentrated in the target area. The targets in Germany included the big Leuna oil plant at Mersburg, 18 miles west of Leipzig, and other plants at Lutzkendorf, 14 miles south of Halle, Bohlen, just outside Leipzig, and Sietz, 25 miles south-west of Leipzig. “The American bombers fought one of the bloodiest air battles of the war. They destroyed 150 enemy aircraft for the loss of 42 American bombers and 10 fighters. The American bombers shot down 84 enemy fighters and the fighters 66. The assault was carried out in the face of tremendous odds. To get to their .targets, the Americans had to fight one of the fiercest bailies of the air war. In a desperate attempt to defend the oil that keeps the German war machine going, lhe Luftwaffe turned loose nearly 1000 fighters. The four separate groups of bombers reported being attacked by up to 250 enemy machines, which came in in masses of 30 at a time. There was also a tremendous anti-aircraft barrage, but the Americans got through to blast their targets.” N. FRANCE AND BELGIUM. LONDON, May 14. , Pinpoint raiding by fighter-bomb-ers figured in Saturday’s widespread operational programme, says the Air Ministry News Service. It was the twenty-sixth consecutive day of attacks on enemy transport and military targets on the Continent by the 2nd Tactical Air Force of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force. Railway stations, level crossings, troop billets, military motor transport, and other objectives throughout a wide area in Northern France were selected, for attention by Spitfires and Typhoon fighter-bomber squadrons specially briefed to make their attacks as swift and concentrated as possible. The Bethune railway station was one target attacked, hits being registered on tracks and buildings. In addition to fighter-bombers which flew with-, out escort Bostons and Mitchells escorted by Spitfires attacked the railway yards at Tourcoing. Thunderbolt fighter-bombers of the 9th Air Force attacked the railway yards at Namur and Tourna and railway bridges leading into Hernthals, east of Antwerp, during Saturday afternoon. During the morning Marauders and Havocs * attacked four airfields in France and Belgium. An official account says that more than 500 tons of bombs were dropped on the targets which included airfields at Ab-bevillc-Tillc in France and Chievres, 25 miles south-west of Brussels. Military objectives in Northern France were also hit. No bombers are missing. There were dogfights between the escorting lighters and enemy aeroplanes. Aircraft of Bomber Command were over Belgium in strength 'on Friday night to attack the railway yards at Louvain and Hasselt, says an Air Ministry communique. Objectives in France and North-west Germany were

also bombed. Mines were laid in enemy waters. Fourteen aircraft are missing. LATER. There were no reports to 3 p.m. today of air activity from Britain last night, or to-day. The German radio to-day did not carry the usual "Achtung” warnings. CARDINAL’S" APPEAL LONDON, May 14. The Cardinals of France have addressed an appeal to the Catholic clergy of the British Empire and of the United States, stating: The bombing of France fills our hearts with sadness and anxiety. Thousands of civilians have been killed and wounded. Their homes and also their churches and hospitals have been destroyed. We ask you to intervene with your respective Governments so that the civilian population of France and of Europe may be spared as much as possible. We arc convinced that, with niore care, military objectives will not be confused with the humble dwellings in their neighbourhood. We believe that our towns, our works of art, and our churches in particular should be spared. GERMAN ESTIMATE. LONDON, May 14. ■ The German High Command says that the British and American air incursions into occupied western territory in the first 10 days of May must be regarded as the first swallows of invasion. The German Overseas News Agency says this is the first time the High Command has used the expression “invasion” in referring to the air war. GERMAN CONVOY ATTACKED (Recd. Noon). LONDON, May 14. The German News Agency stated .that twenty Beaufighters this afternoon made a torpedo attack on a German convoy off Ameland, Friesian Isles. One German ship was hit. ,i HIGHEST SCORER. "RUGBY, May 14. Wing Commander J. R. D. Braham, a 2nd Tactical Air Force Mosquito pilot, became the top-scoring fighter pilot still flying on operations by shooting down a Focke-Wulf 190

over Denmark yesterday. It was his twenty-ninth victim. He was transferred from full-time operational flying to staff duties in February, but is allowed a, “ration” of. operatioDcil trips and has shot down at least one enemy aircraft on each ’sortie made under this system. DEMONSTRATION TRAGEDY. (Rec. 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, May 14. Mr. A. L. Wykes, head of the company producing the Auster plane, which is the “maid of all work plane of the British Army, was killed at Leicester in view of thousands of spectators, when piloting one ol his own machines at a military demonstration. Wykes was completing an aerobatics display when the plane crashed and burst into flames. His body was recovered from the charred wreckage. Wykes. who was aged 4a, was a pilot in the last war, and originator of the plane which became known as the “flying jeep.” The Auster plane, unarmed and unarmoured, with a maximum of only 225 miles per hour, depended for survival on an amazing degree of manoeuvrability. It has been known to circle a tree with a baffed enemy sweeping above unable to train guns against the “sitting bird.” BRITAIN-MOSCOW RECORD. (Rec. 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, May 14. A British-built Mosquito, flown by a Russian pilot, .recently covered the’ distance between Britain and. an airfield near Moscow in four and a half hours flying time, reports “The Times’s” Moscow correspondent. The) Mosquito was aided by a strong following wind and is believed to have established a record between the two countries.