AERIAL OFFENSIVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 December 1944, Page 5

AERIAL OFFENSIVE

ALLIES’ RECORD NUMBERS GERMAN BASES ATTACKED LONDON, December 24. United States Headquarters announces that the greatest force of heavy bombers ever flown in a single mission by any air force—more than 2000 Flying Fortresses and Liberators of the United States Bth Air Forceon Sunday attacked communication and supply centres feeding the German offensive, a number of aerodromes in the Frankfurt area, and other military installations in Western Germany. More than 900 Mus; tangs and Thunderbolts which escorted the bombers brought the total number of. aeroplanes engaged to about 3000. “The greatest force of heavy bombers ever sent out left the English coast on Sunday morning in a column 400 miles long,” the headquarters announcement. “As the head ol the column entered Germany the tail was just leaving England. After crossing the Continental coast, over which the procession roared for two hours, the bombers split into three forces. The Liberators attacked a series of road and rail junctions and supply centres from Euskirchen to Trier, which are vital for supplying and reinforcing German units m the battle area. Two groups of Fortresses hit German airfields round Frankfurt, just across the Rhine from the battle area which have been extremely active ’as bases for the Luftwaffe’s tactical fighters. Photographic reconnaissance showed as many as 50 lighters concentrated on a single one oi these fields. The Fortresses, carrying 5001 b bombs, aimed at hangars and permanent installations to make the fields temporarily unserviceable. The weather was favourable and all the bombing was visual. “A Mustang group shot down 21 ol 50 German fighters encountered east of Coblenz. Another group of Mustangs knocked down 11 of a swarm ol 50 German fighters in the Frankfurt area. Thunderbolts shot down eight German aeroplanes near Giessen." GERMAN LOSSES HEAVY. RUGBY, December 25. Improved weather permitted the resumption of air operations on a large scale. Fighter-bombers in great strength struck at enemy motor transport, tanks, polling stock, troop concentrations, gun positions, and other targets in and behind the area of the enemy counter-offensive, while fighters flew offensive sweeps. Medium bombers and light bombers in force attacked bridges, railheads, and communication centres behind this area. Escorted heavy bombers attacked objectives in the railway and garrison town of Trier and seven other communication centres in Western Germany. On Saturday night bombers attacked rail targets near Bonn and Coblenz. In all these operations 1/8 enemy aircraft were shot down and nine destroyed on the ground. Eight Allied heavy bombers, 26 fighters and fight-er-bombers, and 39 medium and light bombers have not yet reported, though some of the medium bombers may have landed away from their bases. During the night Allied night fighters shot down nine enemy aircraft. . , , , > < Spitfires on Sunday attacked rocket storage and launching sites in HolHand. Wellington bombers claimed hits on two enemy vessels south-west of Denhelder on Saturday night The Air Ministry says that on Sunday afternoon strong forces ol Hahfaxes and Lancasters, escorted by Spitfires and Mustangs, made a concentratecl attack in clear weather on two airfields in the Ruhr. FURTHER MASS ATTACKS RUGBY, December 25. Continuing the campaign of disruption of communication lines over which the German counter-offensive is supplied and reinforced, more than 400 Liberators and Fortresses ol the United States Eighth Air Force attacked railroad bridges and road and rail junctions in Germany opposite the battle area on Monday. the heavy bombers were escorted by more than 400 Mustangs and Thunderbolts of the same Air r qrce. Most of the bombing was done visuall a *5 Mosquito Intruders of the RA.F. Fighter Command , were over Geimany during Sunday night. One enemy aircraft was shot down as it was about to land at an airfield in Westphalia. A number ol trains ana locomotives and road transport vehicles were also strafed. These attacks rounded off a period oi intense activity by the Fighter Command, during which concentrated daylight attacks were made on V2 launching sites in Holland. Direct hits were reported on buildings at a number oi sites Fighter Command aircraft also provided'strong escort to. the Bomber Command heavies attacking lai-.eis in the Ruhr. LATER FIGURES RUGBY, December 25. t Final figures of Sunday’s air operations show that 7000 sorties were flown.No less than 30,000 men weie in the air concentrating their attention on or behind the battle aiea. Some 700 enemy aircraft were signt ed. and the Luftwaffe losses were 120 Preliminary reports of the Nmui Air Force activity oh Monday shovv that they destroyed 14 more enemyplanes during 400 sorilss flown m I the morning in the immediate baUlc I area. Other claims were 32 tanks I destroyed, nine damaged, and 80 I other armoured vehicles destroyed , A total of 177 motor vehicles were inlso destroyed. Many fires weie left i burning at the 15 towns and (which were bombed. Six fightei bombers are missing. '' BOMBS ON SWITZERLAND (Recd. 1 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 25. Swiss radio quoted, an official announcement that Swiss anti-aircraft units to-day shot down American bombers over the Aargau Canton. Seven of the crew baled out. One oi them was not located but the others : were interned. Two additional members of the crew were killed. Three J formations, each containing eight American bombers, just after two p.m. dropped about twenty bombs on Thayingen and Schaffhausen and directly hit a Swiss brick factory, a I food factory and also installations of German railways on the Swiss-Ger-man frontier. One person was killed and three injured. AMERICAN IMPROVEMENTS (Rec. noon.) LONDON, Dec. 25. American authorities announced that they are strengthening the noses of cargo gliders and equipping Flying Fortresses with special electric regulators to control automatically fuel pressures. They are altering the glider as the result of lessons learned from the air-borne invasion of Holland’ they are reinforcing noses with crash bars to make piloting less dangerous. Gliders with reinforced noses do not colapse on their pilots after landing. Therefore, they can be used for more than a single mission. Fortress pilots who are already overworked have hitherto been forced to control manually the fuel pressure on each of their four engines. ATTACKS ON ENGLAND. LONDON, December 25. German air attacks on Southern England in the last 24 hours have ' caused casualties and damage. A number of persons were killed, including children, and others were in-