BLITZ MOUNTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21601, 2 January 1945, Page 5

BLITZ MOUNTS

ENEMY TRANSPORT OIL REFINERIES 92 NAZIS SHOT DOWN

BATTLES OVER REICH (British Official Wirelpss.) (10 a.m.) RUGBY, Jan. }. The Allied tactical air forces in the past 24 hours flew 1700 sorties over a wide area of the Western Front, attacking supply bases such as St. Vith and villages in which the Germans are concentrated, suen as Aslburg and Meusen. and barges on the Waal River, while 1200 United States heavy bombers went for synthetic oil plants in Germany. They met much fighter opposition around Hanover and claim that 92 enemy aircraft were shot down. The Luitwaffe flew some 400 sorties, attack.ng places in Belgium, including Brussels.

Allied headquarters states that the main impetus of our air attack yesterday, New Year’s Eve, was laid on enemy communication and oil supplies, Fighter-bombers attacked three railway yards between Hertogenbosch and Utrecht and struck at road and rail transport in the Amersfoort area, south-east of Venlo and over die German border north-eastwards co Dorsten and Roesi'old. The railway yards at Hammelso were attacked. Blows At Enemy Armour Escorted heavy bombers in the afternoon attacked the railway yards at Voswinkel. Fighters shot down seven enemy aircraft in the Munster area. In ~ the Ardennes salient, ighter-bombers and a small number of medium and light bombers stacked enemv armour and motor Vehicles and struck at communications. Further south, fighter-bombers struck at rail transport and com.nunications and bombed railway yards at Bad-Kreuznach, Kasselsutern, Neustadt and elsewhere. Six enemy aircraft were shot down near Kassellsutern. More than 1300 heavy bombers, escorted by 700 fighters, attacked oil refineries in the Hamburg harbioui area, submarine yards at Misburg, and a jet plane factory at Hamburg. To-day over 800 United States Fortresses and Liberators, escorted by about, an equal number of Mustangs and Thunderbolts, attacked an on refinery at Dollbergen, north-west of Brunswick, military and industrial targets in north and central Germany and rail bridges in the Coblenz area, in great air battles the Mustangs escorting the Fortresses shot down ms enemy interceptors, and .the Fortresses accounted for another 26. Thirty-five bombers and 10 fighters are missing. 7000 Enemy Planes Destroyed It is officially announced that the United States Eighth Air Force in 1944 destroyed over 7000 enemy planes, not including those possibly -iesu'oyed on trie many airfields which vvere attacked. Royal Air Force Lancasters last night attacked the marshalling yard at Osterleld on the eastern approaches to Duisburg. Almost simultaneously, Berlin was attacked by tne strongest force of Mosquitoes yet sent to the capital. Ten Royal Air Force aircraft are missing from operations over Berlin, the Ruhr, and Norway. Yesterday morning Mosquitoes attacked Gestapo headquarters at Oslo, and escorted Lancasters yesterday afternoon attacked enemy shipping on Flekke Fiord, south-east of jwersund, hitting 1 and leaving on fire two medium-sized merchantmen.