U.S. BOMBERS’ BAG

Grey River Argus, 26 March 1943, Page 5

U.S. BOMBERS’ BAG

80 PLANES IN GERMANY Bigger Raids Promised 8.0.W. RUGBY, March 24. Eighty German aircraft have been destroyed in the last two raids by American bombers on Germany. The figures for the respective raids were: Begesack, 52 destroyed, 20 probably destroyed and 23 damaged; Wilhelmshaven, 28 destroyed, nine possibles, nine, damaged. The Begesack raid was on last Thursday and y the Wilhelmshaven raid last Monday.

Heavier raiding day and night on targets in Germany and the possibility of ,100-plane daylight raids on Berlin were forecast by ' Major-Gen-eral lan C. Eaker, commanding the Air Force of the United States Army in an interview.

“We shall continue to bomb largely by day,” he said, “but should the weather prove to be better for night operations we are prepared to bomb at night. I cannot say when our night operations will begin, but. certainly we shall do it this Summer. There will be the best co-operative effort with the R.A.F., and we have some fat targets in view. What could be better for the R.A.F. to crack a target at night and for us to go in the day after?

“It is my opinion that the Gfegesack raid can be counted as more or less the conclusion of an experiment which began on August 17 when our bombers attacked Rouen. We were determined to find out if high-level bombing was practicable in this theatre without serious loss. The answer is definitely in the affirmative.” He continued: “In the course of 51 raids the American bomber losses are in the ‘region 1 of 90, while we accounted for 255 German interceptors. We are now turning to building up our force so as to join the R.A.F. in full partnership in a large-scale offensive against German targets. Our Liberators and Flying Fortresses can go to any vital target in Germany, attack and hit. it. and then can beat off fighters all the way there and back. Our new bombers will be much bigger and faster. They will carry three or four times the bomb load and have better defences.”

He also addressed a meeting of both Houses of Parliament at the Commons. He gave an account of the close co-operation and happy relationshin existing between the U.S.A. Air Force and the R.A.F R.A.F. ’Attacks , LONDON, March 24. Targets in Germany were bombed at dusk on Wednesday night by a R.A.F. squadron. During Wednesday afternoon fighting on offensive patrol attacked railway communications in Northern France. One fighter is missing from these operations. An Air Ministry communique stated: Last night aircraft of the Bomber Command laid mines in enemy waters. Fighter Command aircraft attacked railway targets in France and north-west Germany. One of our aircraft is missing.