GERMAN OIL PLANTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 September 1944, Page 5

GERMAN OIL PLANTS

MORE VIGOROUS ATTACKS ANGLO-U.S.A. BLITZ ‘ RUGBY, September 13. United States Headquarters state that over 1000 heavy bombers, today, attacked a variety of synthetic oil plants and industrial targets m Central,. Southern, and Western Germany. The Fortresses and Liberators were escorted by mediumsized forces of Mustangs, Thunderbolts and Lightnings. . All the targets were attacked visually in ‘good weather. The targets •included synthetic oil plants at Mersberg and Lytzkendorf, botn near Leipzig, and at Ludwigshaven; the Daimler-Benz plant at Sendelfinger, south-west of Stuttgart, which manufactures medium trucks and components for aeroplane engines; the Klockner, Humbolt and Deutz truck and armoured vehicle plant at Ulm; the Schwabisch-Hall airfield, north-east of Stuttgart, where photographic reconnaissance revealed activity with jet-propelled fighters, and the oil storage depot at Weissenhorn, near Ulm. RAF. bombers have also shown intense activity, and in- the 12 hours between 7.30 p.m. yesterday and 7.30 a.m. to-day R.A.F. Bombex Command despatched over 1400 aircraft. In the two days of Monday and Tuesday the R.A.F. set six oil plants in the Ruhr ablaze. In the Upper Rhineland, where Darmstadt has been almost entirely devastated, strong forces of Lancasters dropped over 400,000 incendiaries on Frankfurt and over 200,000 on Stuttgart. Italy-based heavy bombers, with fighter support, to-day struck a new blow against Germany’s oil supplies, states Reuter’s Rome correspondent. They attacked refineries at Odertal, 75 miles south-west of Breslau, and Oswiecim, near Cracow. Both refineries have a capacity of 172,U0U tons annually. Generally, good bombing was reported. FRANKFURT AND STUTTGART LONDON, Sept. 13. Royal Air Force bombers were over Germany last night in great strength, with Frankfurt and Stuttgart as their main objectives. Berlin was also bombed. ~ . The Bomber Command s attack on Frankfurt was made at short notice. It was against German transport concentrated there on its way to the Siegfried Line. In spite of fighter and ground opposition, the bombers scored many hits and caused big fires in the target area. CONTINUED ASSAULTS. (Rec. 9.20 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 12. More than 1000 R.A.F. bombers have hit Germany since midday yesterday. bringing the total heavy bombers thrown into the new battle of Germany in five days and nights to about 10,000. Thus General Eisenhower’s warning to the Germans ol the devastating bombing pl their own soil is being fulfilled with inexorable resolve already. . This morning new processions ol bombers and fighters have gone out to renew the great round-the-clock offensive. They included 9th United States Air Force fighter-bombers, which since dawn have continued their assault against targets on both sides of the Siegfried Line and enemy strongpoints near Nancy, Metz and Brest. These operations followed a day of intense activity, yesterday, in which about 40 enemy planes were shot down. Much road and rail transport was destroyed. The 9th Air Force fighters had their principal combat in the area of Strasbourg, where they shot down Ml for the loss of two. They shot down five others over Nancy. Their targets were road and rail transport south-east of Nancy, gun positions at Epinal, and two ports south-west of Metz. They silenced five gun positions at Brest. Second Tactical Air Force Spitfires and Typhoons attacked shipping in the Flushing area and sank at least four small ships, eight barges, a tugboat and a dredger in the Scheldt. Rocket-firing Typhoons, at the Army’s request, silenced gun positions in the Calais-Boulogne area. COMPARATIVE LOSSES. (Rec. 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, September 13. Eighth Air Force Mustangs, Thunderbolts and Lightnings, escorting Fortresses and Liberators attacking the German synthetic oil plants and other military targets, to-day, shot down 33 enemy fighters in combat, and destroyed 20 on the ground. Twenty-seven of our bombers and nine fighters are missing.

OSNABRUCK RAILWAY YARDS

LONDON, September 13. The Air Ministry says: Strong forces of fighter-covered R.A.F. heavy bombers, in daylight, this evening, attacked railway junctions and yards at Osnabruck which is the R.A.F. Bomber Command’s deepest daylight penetration into Germany. They met no fighter opposition. The Nordstern synthetic oil plants in the Ruhr were also attacked. Two bombers are missing. ATTACK ON CONVOY "rugby, Sept. 13. In one of the most daring strikes of the war, a force of nearly 40 R.A.F. Beaufighters attacked a convoy in the narrow anchorage of Den Helder, in the West Frisians. Flying between the heavily-defended area of Texcl and the mainland, the Beaufighters, despite flak, very severely damaged a half-completed destroyer and left five over ships on fire and also attacked barracks, several buildings, a radio station and gun positions. Two Beaufighters are missing. One Beaufighter flew back to its base with almost three feet of a ship’s mast embedded in tlie nose. NEW SPITFIRE’S SPEED.

RUGBY, Sept. 13. Faster than any other Spitfire in service, and the destroyer of over 300 flying bombs, the new Spitfire — the Mark 14 —is now officially described. It is a single-seater, lowwing monoplane, with a single fin and rudder and elliptical wings. It has a Rolls-Royce-Griffin engine, driving a five-bladed, constant speed propeller. The engine develops over 2000 horse-power. The armament may consist of four 20 m.m. cannon, or two 20 m.m. cannon ■ and two machine guns of ,sin, or two cannon and four machineguns. It can also carry 2501 b .or 500 lb bombs. Its performance is outstanding, both in speed and climb.