AERIAL OFFENSIVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 September 1944, Page 5

AERIAL OFFENSIVE

GERMAN BASES BOMBED LARGE AREA COVERED LONDON, September 10. In the face of intense flak and unfavourable weather more than 1000 Flying Fortresses and Liberators of the Bth United States Army Air Force attacked rail and industrial targets in the Ruhr, on Saturday. The bombing was largely done by instruments, but some was visual through breaks in the clouds. The targets were at Mannheim, Ludwigshaven, Mainz, Dusseldorf, and elsewhere in the Ruhr. Mustangs escorted the bombers, but no enemy aircraft were encountered. Twenty-three bombers and four fighters are missing. “Royal Air Force Lancaster bombers last night made a heavy and concentrated attack on Glandbach, a few miles south-west of Duisberg, says an Air Ministry communique. “Large fires were observed with smoke rising to a great height. Brunswick was also attacked. No aircraft is missing.” More than 1000 United States Liberators and Flying Fortresses, escorted by medium forces of Mustangs, on Friday attacked chemical ■ and synthetic oil plants at Ludwigshaven, an ordnance depot at Kastel, u.eai Mainz, a tank and armoured vehicle plant at Bustavsburg, and targets m Karlsruhe. Twenty bombers are missing. The bombers which attacked Ludwigshaven did not encounter any enemy fighters, but flak was intense. They bombed visually the also by instruments through the visually bombed Karlsruhe, which is an important railway centre supplying the Siegfried Lme fortresses, and attacked Gustavsbuu and Kastel, two miles east ol Mainz where the Germans 1 pool engineering signal equipment for the Western Front. Twenty bombers did not ietUMosquitoes without loss attacked Nuremburg on Friday night, la More ’than 1100 Flying Fortresses and Liberators to-day attacked an?raft tank* and truck factories over a wide area m Southern Germany. Thev were escorted by Lightnings aM Mustangs. Thunderbolts sW up enemy aerodromes m Western Germany. ANOTHER ATTACK. RUGBY, Sept. 10. More than 1100 Fortresses and Liberators flew through Southern Germany to-day, lanmng, cmt to at tack targets over a wide aiea. inty were escorted 'by medium forces; of Lightnings and Mustangs, Thunderbolts strafed aerodromes i Western Germany. The ta J g ets the bombers were m the Stuugaii Nurenburg-Ulm area and mcluded aircraft plants and tank and tiuck fa ju°st ie before dawn this morning a force of R.A.F. Lancasters made - heavy attack on M unchen-Glad bach a new traffic centre soutn-west o? the Ruhr, not Jar behind the German line. Incendiaries totalling 239, 000 were dropped andfiressprangup soon after the markets had to qne down, and a great P all ° f h s l2°f e a | P tll p ailed up. Dawn began to bieak as w. main force arrived over the town «nd the searchlights w ere very g A rehandicapped by the half light. A i connaissance pilot who flew ove u . town some five hours aftei the atta found the centre burning fiercely. ENEMY LOSSES. RUGBY?September 11. The Luftwaffe was out in some strength, to-day, to intercept a foice « Lwv United States bombers which were attacking Merseburg Lutzkendorf and Misburg, a i correspondent at Supreme Headmni ters but they found themselves XroMed with a = y of 800 escorting fighters, 1 lemeu dous air battles , en ?Vr d n f n norts show that 116 ol we eneii y were' shot down. The Germans sudden decision to take to the air was anticipated by our sending such a la in e addition, 42 enemy l g r nd ’Fo? a^ei g ght bombers and 29 fighters are missing. FLUSHING FERRY. RUGBY? September 11. The ferry crossing between Flushing and Breekens, being used at hi»h nressure by the Germans, was severely damaged this afternoon by R.A.F. Mitchells and Bostons Canadian navigator said that he sa.x bombs land squarely on piers and car nark. One stick ol bombs ran right through two boats and a w..y large fire started. N.Z. “FLYING-BOMB” SCORE LONDON, September 9 Switching almost over night hoj 1 lon°--range patrols over Normandy beach-heads to the defence of Britain the New Zealand fighter squadron scored outstanding successes in battle of the flying bomb. The squad ron is credited with a score of -39 flying bombs destroyed, all m day light. Warrant Officer O. F. Eagle son, of Auckland, was top-scorer foi the squadron with a bag of 21. ■ squadron’s Maori motto means. Beware the Wild Winds.” The Pi ess Association says that the Germans may not be able to translate Hiwa Hau Make,” but that by now it is fairly certain they have a general idea of the meaning of it. VIENNA AREA BOMBED . RUGBY, September 11. Heavy bombers of the Mediterranean Air Force returned onSunday to two favourite oil targets, Libau and Nova Schwechat refineries, southeast oi Vienna. Photographs show that the refineries were well hit. Liberators bombing through holes in the clouds and using instruments attacked other targets in the industrial belt south-east of Vienna, while attacks were also made on airfields and communications. Heavy bombers raided Trieste, where docks, warehot ses, railway yards and shipping in the harbour were lilt. Raids were also made on communications and other targets throughout the Balkans by Allied air forces.

Twenty-one of our •aircraft aie missing.

GERM AN INACTI. VIT Y RUGBY, September 11. The Luftwaffe was: reluctant to challenge Allied planes in aerial combat, and put up only 425 fighters to oppose the planes of the Ninth Tactical Air Command dm m.g August, it was revealed to-day. Of these, nearly a quarter were shot down. Enemy planes sighted by the Ninth T.zX.C. fighter pilots during the month numbered 600. Of these 425 gave battle and 103 were shot down. The Germans attacked only when they had marked superiority. The largest formation to face the Ninth T.A.C. fighters was 94 Messerschmitts and Fockewulfs which attacked two groups of Lightnings on August 25. Forty-one- were destroyed and 27 1 damaged. Eighteen Lightnings were lost.