AERIAL OFFENSIVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1944, Page 5

AERIAL OFFENSIVE

FURTHER RECORD BOMBINGS RAIL CENTRES MAIN TARGETS LONDON, June 12. The Air Ministry News Service says: For the seventh night in succession, Bomber Command Lancasters and Halifaxes on Thursday night kept up an offensive against targets in France. Bombers attacked the railway centres of Evreux, Nantes, Tours and Massy-Paliseau (near Paris). These attacks were part of a plan to harass and delay the movement of the German troops and supplies that are'coming up to the battle area. These are four junctions in a wide arc, well behind tne battle area. German reinforcements, moving from east to west, towards the Caen area, might be brought up through MassyPaliseau, or taken north of Paris through Evereux, while reinforcements from the south would be likely to use the junctions of Nantes and Tours. There was a good deal of cloud over France on Sunday night, but crews frequently dived through it to release bombs.

INCREASING THE PRESSURE

LONDON, June 12

The weather was much better for air operations over France this morning, after the cloud and rain which obscured the battle area yesterday afternoon. By the middle of this morning Allied aircraft had flown more sorties than during tjre whole of yesterday. Allied losses in the air yesterday were 23 aircraft, including three heavy bombers. Last night Lancasters and Halifaxes' bombed Nantes, Evreux, and Tours, and the railway bridge at Massy-Palaiseau, south of Paris. Mosquitoes flown by Australians and New Zealanders attacked enemy supply trains.

An American air communique says: “Stepping up the tempo of air attack on German targets in France, very strong forces of Flying Fortresses and Liberators yesterday bombed nine airfields, eight bridges, one army headquarters, and other objectives. The heavy bombers attacked some targets visually and others through overcast by instruments. Escorting fighters destroyed five aeroplanes and divebombed and strafed ground installations. Thev ranged as far as 150 miles ahead of the Allied ground forces. They shot up more than 300 railroad cars, 25 locomotives, 12 oil tanks, 85 trucks, and 20 other vehicles, including tanks and armoured cars. ‘“Aeroplanes of the United States 9th Air Force flew more than 13,000 individual operations between 10.50 p.m. on June 5 and 4 p.m. on June 11, averaging about 100 flights an hour over enemy territory. “Sky trains” and Horsa gliders which landed the first Allied paratroops and air-borne forces on the Cherbourg Peninsula in one day flew considerably more than 1000 operations. Sky trains on Saturday and Sunday evacuated seriously wounded men from hastily-constructed landing strips on the Normandy beaches. ‘■’The 9th Air Force since the invasion has lost. 112 aeroplanes, exclusive of gliders, which were abandoned after discharging air-borne troops. Ninth Air Force fighters have destroyed 40 enemy aeroplanes.” AMERICAN SUPERIORITY. (Rec. 10.30.) LONDON, June 12. American bombers attacking railway junctions at Rennes and Amiens to-day had a battle with 50 enemy planes and shot down six. Pilots who spent the morning dive-bombing and strafing behind the German lines reported a long list of trucks, railway yards, locomotives, tanks, armoured cars, radio stations!,-staff cars ana aerodromes damaged or demolished.

Marauders carried out two missions against road junctions near the bridgehead. , , Skv-trains this morning dropped over’23,ooo pounds of supplies to the American troops in Normandy. The Associated Press correspondent at a United States fighter base says that the superiority ol the American fighter pilots over the Germans was demonstrated when a squadron of 12 Thunderbolts broke up an attack I’rom 20 Messerschmitt 109 s over France and shot down 10 at a cost of only one Thunderbolt. FURTHER DESTRUCTION (Rec. 11.50 a.m.) LONDON, June 12. More than 1400 heavy bombers oi' the Eighth Air Force the greatest number ever despatched on a single mission—struck at 16 German airfields and six bridges in France, today, says the States Headquarters. Operating with strong fighter escort they encountered no enemy fighter opposition. The escorting strafed and bombed 11 locomotives, 63 rail-cars, JO2 trucks, 11 other vehicles, three radio and flak towers, one tank, and several marshalling yards and railway junctions. Seven bombers and 14 fighters are missing.

LUFTWAFFE MORE ACTIVE

LONDON, June 12

According to reports received at SHAEF, the Luftwaffe is steadily becoming more active in France. It is estimated that there were approximately one hundred enemy ’planes over the beaches and general'assault area on Sunday. American Thunderbolts on Monday morning reported the most determined opposition yet encountered. There was improved weather to-day, however, which enabled the Allied Air Forces to fly more sorties by 1,000 than were carried out throughout Sunday. . It was announced from United States Air Force Headquarters that one sortie was made by some fifty enemy fighters. Pilots described the air battle as the roughest yet. Strong forces of Havocs and Marauders early on Monday smashed road and rail junctions in France. Over 125 bombers participated without loss in attacks on rail and road targets at Aunay, Le Haye du Puits, Falaise and a bridge at Con de sur Noireau. Marauder pilots said that German troops stampeded from Falaise under a hail of bombs. They seemed to be panicked by the concentrated attack. RESISTANCE INCREASING. (Rec. 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, June 12. Allied pilots to-day encountered the strongest Luftwaffe resistance since the invasion began. Reuter’s SHAEF correspondent says that German fighters to-day were up all over the battle area as the Allied air forces engaged in the biggest operation since the opening of the invasion. Between 750 and 1000 Fortresses and Liberators, escorted by 500 to 750 Mustangs, Lightnings and Thunderbolts, attacked airfields and bridges in perfect weather. “RAILWAYDESERT” RUGBY, June 12. Further details of the pre-D. Day bombing show that of 12 German coastal batteries five were destroyed and seven damaged. This took 4,400 tons of bombs. By D. Day the railways west of Paris towards Normandy were “a railway desert.” There is. in fact, no rail movement west of Paris. German reserves must come round south of Paris. Between Rouen and Paris there had been 10 railway bridges. By D. Day eight had been destroyed or made’ unusable. Of 14 i road bridges in the same area 10 had been destroyed-and two others made unusable by D, Day, while three

bridges over the Meuse at Leige, one over the Loire Canal at Tours, one over the Canal de I’Escaunt at Valenciennes, two over the Albert Canal at Hirson and Herentlials and a bridge over the Loire at Saumer had been destroyed. ’ . It was stated to-night that the German air resistance, though becoming slightly heavier, is still surprisingly low. GERMAN PLANES CRASHED. "RUGBY, June 12. Wireless installations near Le Havre, railway and road communications behind the German lines near the beaches, and military transport of all kinds were attacked bv rocket and bomb-carrying fighters during to-day’s' operations, while Spitfires again gave constant fighter cover to the beaches and the fighting zone. Ten trucks, loaded with military supplies and some containing ammunition, were destroyed when the railway station at Bluouze was dive-bombed, and rocket Typhoons made a concentrated attack on German vehicles sheltering in a wood in the same area. Radio installations at Cape de la Heve, near Le Havre, were left in a cloud of smoke and dust.

A few Luftwaffe machines put in an appearance over the beaches patrolled by our aircraft, but two fighter-bombers which flew in low hoping to escape detection were crashed down by the R.N.Z.A.F. Squadron without loss. One blew up in mid-air when its bombs were hit. The other dived into the ground. Four further German fighters were destroyed in the course of the morning’s operations. MAILS DELIVERED. RUGBY, June 12. It is revealed that R.A.F. servicing commandos went ashore at dawn on the first day of the landings, and by midday were ready to service and refuel the first Hurricanes to land on the beachhead airfield. Within 48 hours, the airfield was fully operating. Captain Hendricks, aged 23, United States Thunderbolt pilot, who had never fired guns at an enemy plane before, shot down four FW 190’s in a running battle over Northern France, to-day. When he landed in England, his guns had fifteen rounds left between them.

The Third Infantry Division is fighting in France again under its old commander, General Montgomery. The division went to France in the early days of the war, and on October 12, 1939, went into line between Bouvines and Lannoy. When the campaign started in 1940, the division went forward into Belgium and was in the thick of the fighting until Dunkirk. Considerably over 5000 bags of mail and over 700 bags of newspapers have already been sent by the Army post office in Britain to the Allied forces across the Channel. On D. Day itself, nearly 1000 mail bags were shipped to the beaches. To Friday last, about 5000 letters and cards from beachhead forces were received in Britain. The first regular dispatch from the beaches was made two days after the first landings. 'NEW ZEALANDERS ENGAGED (Rec. 9.20.) LONDON, June 12. Mosquitoes from New Zealand and Australian Squadrons, last evening, bombed supply trains in railyards south of Tours on the main northern line to the battle area, states an announcement from the headquarters of the Second Tactical Air Force. Pilots who flew over the town five hours later reported that a fire engulfing the railyards was still burning fierce--1 v ~ An Australian, Wing Commander, R. W. Iredale, D.F.C., led the Australian and New Zealand fliers on a low-level flight of 200 miles into France and back. They bombed goods trains in yards and shot, up six other trains. “We flew on deck practically all the way in,” said Iredale. “We were sometimes only 25 feet above the ground and French people waved to us. At Chatel Lerault we found the goods yards full of smoke from a fire started by the New Zealanders who were just ahead of us. We drop ped our bombs from 20 feet right among the trucks and then followed the main line north, shooting trains as we went. The five trains I shot up were of the German troop-train type. Wing Commander I. N. Smith, DF C ? and Bar, Commander ol the New Zealand Squadron, said: . We bombed three long lines of freightcars at Chatel Lerault. BERLIN AGAIN RAIDED. LONDON, June 12. “A force of Mosquito bombers last night attacked Berlin,” says an An Ministry communique. “Mines were also laid in enemy waters. Two bombers are missing. “Mosquitoes dropped 4000-pqund-ers on Berlin for the third night m succession,” reports the Air Ministry News Service. “Scores of .searchlights were switched on as the Mosquitoes approached, but the searchlight crews were handicapped by thin clouds rising to a hight of nearly two miles. Light and heavy anti-aircraft batteries opened fire and the capital was wide awake. The bomber crews reported good fires in the target area.'

BRITAIN’S NEW FIGHTER.

LONDON, June 12

The Press Association’s aviation correspondent reports that a new British fighter plane—the Tempest—is now operating. The Tempest is described as the most poweriul-fight-er yet built. Details of its performance are secret, but it is said to have a speed much greater than the fastest German fighter. The German air journal “Flugsport,” says that the nlane has a 2000 h.p. air-cooled tlawker-Siddeley radial engine. The plane was designed by Mr. Sydney Camm, designer’of the Hawker Hurricane and the Typhoon. EVACUATION OF WOUNDED LONDON, June 11. With shells bursting.near the landing strip and Mustangs circling overhead to ward off enemy aircraft, five nurses, one doctor, and six medical technicians who composed the first United States Air Force evacuation unit to land in France, on Saturday brought back three loads of wounded from a Normandy beachhead. They were on French soil for an hour and a-half. Plans for the evacuation of casualties from the firing line .to hospitals in the base area have been specially worked out for the campaign in Northern France. Casualties will pass from the line through one or perhaps several of 10 or more air posts, collecting posts, dressing stations, surgical centres, hospitals, rest stations, general hospitals, and convalescent depots, before being passed to hospitals in England. First, in the divisional rear, is the collecting zone, where casualties are taken from the line either by stretcher bearers or unit transport, such as jeeps carrying three stretchers apiece, back to the divisional field dressing station. From there they pass into the corps area or evacuation zone. Transport in this zone, as far back as the road or railhead, is by motor ambulance convoy or possibly by aircraft. Casualties may receive treatment in a general hospital with 200 beds, which can be moved back to general hospitals in the base area by motor ambulance, train, or river steamer.

In the early stages the transport of casualties presents great difficulties.

Not until a deep penetration has been made can ambulance trains be landed in France. Until then ordinary train equfoment with racks for stretchers or lorries similarly fitted will have to take the place of ambulance trains. Finally, from jhe base area, the casualties pass to hospitals in England. The swiftest means of transport are being used. Some are brought back by hospital carrier, others by specially converted landing ships carrying 200 stretcher and 100 walking cases. Others are brought back by air.