AERIAL OFFENSIVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 September 1944, Page 6

AERIAL OFFENSIVE

RAIDS ON GERMANY.

( R ec 9.25 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 24. R.A.F. Bomber Command aircraft were over Germany, last night, in very great strength, with Neuss inla j harbour and industrial town and Munster as the main objectives says an Air Ministry communique. Bochum was also bombed. Bomber Command night-fighters and intruders supported the bombers and attacked airfields. Twenty-two of our planes are missing. OVER 3500 TONS OF BOMBS mv -d a^ GBY ’ September 24. , fhe, R.A.F., despite bad weather last night, dropped well over 3500 tons of bombs on various targets in Germany. Neuss and Munster were the mam objectives. An important clearing house for traffic, Neuss has

two marshalling yards. Lines from Munchen-Gladbach, Krefeld, Dusseldorf, Aachen and Cologne meet at the north junction, and others from Mun-chen-Gladbach, Aachen and Cologne at the south. In addition to railway facilities the town has an inland harbour, one of the biggest in the Rhineland, with a waterfront extending nearly 10 miles.

The bombers had to fly through heavy rainstorms, and found the targets covered, with thick cloud. They had little trouble from fighters, and in the early stages the only opposition was flak. The fighters appear to have arrived later, and there were several combats over the target. By that time there was a dull glow under the clouds.

The bombers which attacked Munster found fighters out in force, making a determined effort to stop them. Some of our marking aircraft came below the clouds to drop target in-

dicators. Many of the crews of the i( ?u Ce flowed this example, while others who bombed above the clouds could see the glow of the toffi’kers clearly. Many fighters were fighting - vn ’ ere was heavy