R.A.F. RAIDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 December 1944, Page 6

R.A.F. RAIDS

SHIPS AND TRAINS

RUGBY, December 14. Maintaining their heavy assault upon enemy shipping moving oil' the Norwegian coast, Mosquitos of the R.A.F. Coastal Command escorted by Mustangs of the R.A.F. Fighter Command, yesterday, damaged a medium - sized merchant ship and an escort vessel which’ were found in a very narrow fiord. The Mosquitos had to fly over 70 miles inland to reach the- target. Pilots claimed several hits below and above the waterline, but owing to their speed and the locality, accurate observation was not possible. One Mosquito is missing. A squadron of rocket-firing Typhoons of the R.A.F. Second Tactical Air Force flew deep into Germany, north of Hanover, on Wednesday, despite bad flying weather. They hunted for trains. One squadron which sighted a train through a hole in heavy cloud and .dived to stale it was met by intense flak, but not from the railway. It came from a building near the track, which was marked With large red crosses and which the pilots thought V/as a hospital. The pilots continued their dive and strafed the train, severely damaging it with their rockets. Another train was badly damaged and a third destroyed. Seven military vehicles on one of the trains was damaged. A railway station and factory were also attacked in the same area on Thursday. LANCASTER’S RECORD (Rec. 11 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 14. The R.A.F. Flying Training Command Lancaster ' which visited Australia and New Zealand, made an Australia-England record in flying from Perth io England in a few hours Over three days. It was also the first R.A.F. plane to fly around the world.

ROCKET BOMBS

LONDON, Dec. 14. Damage and casualties have resulted from the enemy air activity against southern England during the 24 hours to dawn on Thursday.

N.Z. AIRMEN’S EXPERIENCES

(N.Z.I’.A. Special Correspondent)

LONDON, December 14

German jet-aircraft roaming through the night sky like a red ball have, been seen by New Zealand Lancaster bomber pilots during raids on Germany. Flying Officer E._ C. Harris (Waiuta), captain of the crew which has done 24 raids, said: “We have seen three jet-aircraft at different times. You can watch them coming miles away, because their jetexhaust Hares like a. rocket. They go at a terrific pace, but don’t seem to do much good. If they' miss you at first shot they have no chance of finding you again because they are miles away in a few seconds. Our best view of them was at night when we were returning from a raid, flying at 18,000 ft. Eigth thousand feet below we saw a jet-fighter silhouetted against a bank of clouds. We watched it for about ten minutes. It was circling around and didn’t see us. In fact, it didn’t appear to find any bombers at all.” F/O. Harris is operating on a station where there are many New Zealanders serving. Their present role is chiefly making long flights into Germany. They bombed Darmstadt, Koenigsberg, Geissen, Hamburg.

Munich, Nuremberg and Bremen. Three daylight attacks on Westkapelle, when the dyke wall was breached, are the shortest, flights they have made. Trie New Zealanders say they have not been worried unduly by flak on their raids, but nightfighters can always be expected. F/O. Harris flew about 200 ft above a. Junkers 88 on the Geissen raid. The Junkers was circling seeking bombers, but did not notice the Lancaster above him. The bomb-aimer reported he could almost‘see the expression on the German pilot’s face, and as both aircraft were above thetarget he tried to hit the German with his bombs, but without success. It was not until the Lancaster drew ahead that the Junkers sighted it, and then the crew were ready and Harris, corkscrewed out from harm’s way. > D 1? crews report a great difference m flying over France, and

Holland these nights. Until about, midnight countries are lit up ‘ almost ‘ like-fairyland.” with lights twinkling! ’ everywhere —far more than in Britain where, although the black-out is ’ r cased, il. is hot relaxed to the same extent as in the liberated territories?.