COLOGNE HOLOCAUST

Grey River Argus, 3 June 1942, Page 5

COLOGNE HOLOCAUST

CITY MASS OF RUINS

20,000 Dead Reported

R.A.F. WREAKS FEARFUL HAVOC.

[Aust. & N.Z Cable A>«n.)

! (Rec. 5.5). SYDNEY, June 2. In a remarkable broadcast, in Ger- ■ man, to South Africa, the Berlin radio dealt with th e R.A.F. raid on I the city of Cologne. It declared • j “Already, 4,748 dead and wounded , persons have been counted, and there i are many more_ still cut off in air 'raid shelters.” ' I The broadcast added: "The destruction in Cologne is beyond description.” The broadcast was picked up by , monitors. The Australian Department of Information says: “The area of Cologne city from Saint Agnes’ Church to the post office, aifi£ that, from the Hohestrasse to the Breitestrasse, likewise the opera house area, and particularly the Severin district, are all one mass of ruins. “All telephonic communications with Cologne have been cut off. “Heart rending scenes have been witnessed in Cologne. There have been 2,500 barracks and three thousand tents placed at the disposal of the Civil Defence Organisation to house the homeless. All of the Cologne reserve stores have been thrown open to feed the wretched victims."

20,000 PEOPLE

Killed in Cologne

54,000 WOUNDED.

SPREAD OF DISEASE FEARED.

(Rec. 11.15.) NEW YORK, June 2. According to private advices from competent neutral observers in Berlin, it is estimated that the number of people killed in the Cologne raid by the Royal Air Force is in the neighbourhood of twenty thousand, says the New York “Times”. In addition there were fifty-four thousand wounded. Twenty per cent, of those wounded are critically injured. The situation in Cologne is so serious that special detachments of the German Army sanitary forces have been dispatched to the city to aid the local services and thus prevent the spread of disease.

Cologne People

MAJORITY EVACUATED TO MUNICH.

EXODUS FROM OTHER RHINELAND CITIES.

(Rec. 11.20.) NEW YORK, June 2.

The New York “Times” states that Berlin advices record that sixty per cent, of the inhabitants of Cologne are being evacuated to Munich. Em- ; ergency barracks have been hastily erected in Munich to house the refugees. It is also reported from Berlin observers that the Rhineland population have been so alarmed that, in spite of all attempts by local authorities to halt an exodus, almost the entire population of Aachen, Dusseldorf, Wuppertal Mainz and other cities are fleeing to avoid further bombardment. EVACUATION OF 15,000. (Rec. 12.30). LONDON, June 2. A Zurich message says that it is officially estimated in Berlin that tty evacuation of at least fifteen thousand is necessar v after the R.A.F. raid on Cologne. Advice to the “New York Times” indicates that roughly- 75 per cent, of Cologne’s chemical and machine tool industries have been completely wrecked. However, the world-famous Cologne Cathedral is The tendency in Berlin was to paint a dreadful picture of British losses of planes and men, while contending that the British intention was to wage war exclusively on women and children and to destroy civilian quarters and public monuments.

SECOND FRONT.

LONDON, June 1. The German newspaper “Der Mon Tag,” states: Churchill wants to please Stalin by establishing this kind of second front. One or more British towns will feel the most severe punishment for this raid. Particulars of Raid , LONDON, June 1. Fires raging in Cologne after the R.A.F. raid, were seen at dawn from the epast of Holland, 40 miles away. Reconnaissance aircraft saw columns of smoke rising- nearly three miles into the sky over the burning city.

Himmler assumed control of the entire air-raid precautions services of Germany. Many of the bomber crews engaged in the raid had previously taken part in the raids on Lubeck and Rostock, and they said that last night’s raid pri Cologne produced fires far larger and fiercer. The Germans had arranged fake fires on the outskirts of the city in an attempt to lure away British aircraft, but these were mere pin-pricks beside the great fires raging in the city, whjph provided a beacon for further bombers. Before the great armada set out to batter Cologne, Air Vice Marshal A. T. Harris, Chief of the Bomber Command, told the airmen: “Let them have it right on the chin!” “The force of which you form a part to-night is at least twice the size, and has more than four times the carrying capacity of the largest force ever before concentrated on one objective,” said Air Vice Marshal Harris, in his message to the crews assembled before the raid. “You have the opportunity to strike a blow at the enemy which will resound not only throughout Germany, but throughout the world. In your hands lie the means of. destroying st major part of the resources by which the enemy’s war effort is maintained.” He concluded his message with these words: “Press home your attack on your precise objective with the utmost determination and resolution in the full knowledge that if you individually succeed a most shattering and devastating blow will have been delivered against one of the vitals of the enemy.” One officer responsible for the brilliant feat of organisation was Air Vice Marshal J. E. A. Baldwin, who, when he had finished his work at the desk, said: “I want to see things for myself,” and went in a bomber over Cologne. The New Zealand Bomber Squadron took part in th© raid. All members returned safely. Wing Commander E. G. Olson, of New Plymouth, said: “Everything went to

schedule. AU the boys said it was a grand, trip.” It cantoe taken for granted that many New Zealanders throughout the R.A.F.—probably a hundred, or so—were amongst the crews bombing Cologne, for New Zealanders are to be found at nearly every station throughout Britain, sometimes groups, or ones or twos. Mr. Jordan, on June 3, will pay a visit to New Zealand airmen who participated in the Cologne raid. One New Zealander said that looking on Cologne from 15,000 feet was like looking on Lubeck from 3,000 feet. He added: The greatest danger was when we got home, as there were so many kites milling around, waiting to get down. :

The general! concensus of opinion of captains and crews of the Manchesters and Lancasters that took off from one station was that the raid was “dead easy.” It was evident that the German defence has either been overwhelmed, or bombed and machine-gunned out of existence. The crews were full of praise for the ground staff, who had toiled to ensure that the bombers should get away. The bombers which took off from this station unloaded a large number of tons of high explosive bombs and all returned. (

On e 22-year-old Squadron Leade; after unloading, has bombs, came down to 50 feet to have a crack <. the searchlights. The bomber wa badly peppered with light flak, being hit on both wings, tail, fuselage, and one of the engines. A pilot officer, who was also at Augsburg, said we were blinded by the reflection of flames on the glassin the nose of our craft. We were one of the few machines picked up by the searchlights. The cone of at least 30 caught us, but we soon dodg ed them. Few German, fighters were.seen.

“A wonderful exhibition” was the description applied bv Lieut.-General Arnold, to the Cologne raid. He added: “The sooner we have them going over nightly, with the United States Aii’ Force forming! a component part, the better it will be, and the sooner will Germany feel the effect of the war. It is obviously that no offen[sive against Nazi-occupied Europe can succeed without air superiority, and we mean to have it. In gaii. ing air superiority in any theatre, we have no time to wait for ideal aerodromes, planes, or situations. It has been agreed that the best results can be achieved if American crews fly American pllanes, and in American units, except when emergency conditions dictate another course The allocation of planes is being arranged with this principle in mipd." General Arnold explained that his conversations with Mr. Churchill, Air Marshal Portal and other service leaders, which have now almost concluded, aimed at further development of the original agreements between Britain and the United States, looking to the maximum impact of the combined air strength against the common enemy. “The chief considerations of our conversations have been to ensure American units’ increasing demands on United States plane production will not impair the British air offensive, now or in future. I hope my visit has hastened the day when our air. arms J oin the air offensive against the enemy, which he cannot meet, defeat, or survive.” •

Lieut.-General Arnold has written to Air Marshal Harris as follows: “As the Commanding General of the United States Army Air Forces, I desire to extend my congratulations to you, your staff, and your combat crews for the great raid last night on Cologne. It was brilliant in conception and superlative in execution. Please convey to your officers and men my admiration for their courage and skill, and sav that our air forces hope very soon to fly and fight beside them, in these decisive blows against our common enemy.” I Air Marshal Harris replied: “All ‘ranks of the Bomber Command highly appreciate your message. We, too. look forward to the time, now so near, when the United States Army Air Forces, which already so gallantl-v and effectively bear their share .of the burden in the Far East and elsewhere, will commence operations at our side in this theatre of war. We are supremely confident that, with their aid, our common enemies, faced with certain devastation of their lands, will soon have cause bitterlv to rue the day on which they forced our two countries into the war.”

Air Marshal Harris has sent the following reply to Mr. Churchill’s congratulations on the attack' on Cologne: “All ranks of the Bombei* Command deeply appreciate your message. Thev will ntirsue their •task with undiminished resolution, and with the growing means at their disposal, until the goal is achieved.”