WAR IN THE AIR

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 March 1945, Page 6

WAR IN THE AIR

COMPARATIVE LOSSES RUGBY, March 20. Nearly three thousand sorties were flown against Germany from Italy, and a record weight of over two thousand tons of bombs dropped on the marshalling yards in Southern Germany yesterday, the main targets being Muhldorf and Lanshut, both north-east of Munich. One enemy aircraft mas destroyed in the air and three on the ground, says a communique, Twelve of our aircraft, including one heavy bomber, are missing. R.A.F. bombers this afternoon attacked the railway yards a Recklinghausen and Hamm.

The Air Ministry states it. is known the viaduct at Arnsberg, south-east of Hamm, has been breached when R.A.F. Lancasters yesterday attacked with twenty-two thousand and twelve thousand lb. bombs, and also at Bielefeld. In the afternoon Lancasters attacked the benzol plant at Gelsenkirchen, and light bombers last night attacked Berlin. From these operations all ours returned. It is announced that forty-seven enemy aircraft were shot down and twenty others destroyed on the ground in yesterday’s operations on the Western Front. Nineteen of our fighters are missing. United States Headquarters states that photographs taken during the American air operations against industrial targets in southern Germany show heavy concentrations of bombs fell on,all objectives. About 400 United States Fortresses and Liberators, escorted by over 300 United States Mustangs, to-day attacked Blohm and Voss, the U-boat yards at Hamburg, two oil refineries, including a refinery at Hemmingstedt, and targets at Hamburg.