DUISBERG BOMBED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21067, 12 April 1943, Page 3

DUISBERG BOMBED

15-MINUTE RAID SWEEPS BY FIGHTERS DEVASTATION IN ESSEN (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) (11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, April 11. V'On Friday night our heavy bombers attacked Duisberg and other objectives in the Ruhr," states the Air Ministry. The weather had improved when our four-engined bombers attacked Duisberg and other objectives in the Ruhr, states the Air Ministry news service. As on previous nights, there was a good deal of cloud, but there was brilliant moonlight at 5000 ft. The attack was crowded intO'»ls minutes. Fires were started before the raid was over.

Ail Air Ministry communique states that on Saturday night aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked objectives in south-west Germany. Heavy clouds made it difficult to see the results. Two enemy lighters were destroyed by our bombers. Alines were also laid in enemy waters. Eighteen of our bombers are missing. Aircraft of the Costal Command, escorted by Beaulighters, attacked an enemy supply vessel in the Bay of Biscay. A supply vessel and one of the escort ships were hit. Two aircraft are missing from this operation. "Attacking transport targets in northern France, Holland and Belgium on Saturday, Spitfires, Typhoons and Mustangs damaged four locomotives, three goods trains, 18 tugs and barges, one trawler, one dredger and four oil storage tanks,” states the Air Ministry. "In Holland a large barge was set on fire and sunk. A fighterbomber also bombed a factory adjoining the railway at Yvetot, near Le Havre. Five aircraft are missing.” Late on Saturday afternoon Spitfires attacked enemy shipping oil Brest and damaged three small vessels.

Aircraft of the Coastal Command attacked enemy shipping ofl the Norwegian coast. A tanker was hit with a torpedo. Eight bombers and two Coastal Command planes are missing. The Air Ministry news service states that the tanker off the Norwegian coast was hit by a Hampden of the New Zealand squadron of the Coastal Command. A second smaller vessel is also believed to have been hit and damaged. Heavy Blows at Kntpps

Reconnaissance photographs taken after the last raid on Essen show that a heavy and accurate blow was struck at Krupps’ enormous factory, which covers an area greater than the City of London.

The Air Ministry says that these are possibly the clearest air photographs ever taken of Krupps. Usually i.he details are obscured by industrial smoke, but when the photographs were taken two days after the raid, by far the greater number of factory chimneys showed no trace of smoke. Fire or explosives damaged 15 separate buildings in the works which had escaped in the previous raids, and at least three of these were main workshops, the damage to which will affect, the operation of other parts of the works. In addition to the works, a colliery and Essen’s railway yards were also hit, buildings being damaged and railway tracks directly hit, tearing up four or five lines. The final tabulation of the number of enemy aircraft destroyed by Flying Fortresses in the raid on the Renault works on April 4 shows that the total score was 48 destroyed, 13 probably destroyed, and six damaged. An extra plane allowed to the tail gunner of the famous plane “Dry Martini” brought his total to 10 enemy planes shot down.