DUISBERG RAID

Grey River Argus, 15 May 1943, Page 5

DUISBERG RAID

OVER 1500 TONS OF BOMBS. LONDON, May. 13. Over 1500 ton s of high explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped on the industrial area of Duisberg and the inland port of DuisburgRuhrort last night. The number of aircraft despatched was not much above the average of the heavy' raids of the last three months, but the gradual substitution of four-engined for two-engined bombers has made the normal striking force more powerful than, that which devastated 600 acres of Cologne in an hour and a'-halt. Greater concentration is now possible, and last night’s raid was planned to take half the time of the Cologne raid. Before, last night the heaviest raid of the war was the 1000-bomber raid on Cologne in May last year. Duisburg, with a population of 500,000, is the largest inland port in Europe and a key communications • centre for Germany’s war industries in the Ruhr. ‘ln Duisburg itself are iron and steel works, U-boat factories, and factories making aero-engine parts. The Duisburg raid was timed to start at 2 a.m., and did so 'to the minute, and bv 2.45, the whole area was covered with dense smoke, lit by immense flares. Reconnaissance early* this afternoon proved 'the fires were still burning. There were , a number of violent explosions during the raid, one being seen 40 miles -..way. It lit up all Duisburg and the country, around. Similar explosions during' the previous raid have been discovered to be due to firing ammunition dumps or supplies of m- | cendiaries. The pilots reported that anti-air-craft was moderate for the Ruhr, and the searchlights were baffled by tne weight of the attack. A number of I German fighters were seen, one bomber being attacked live times near I the .target.

FURTHER RAID (Rec. 12.0) LONDON, May 14., The Berlin radio says that the R.A.F. was over north-west and central Germany last night. GERMAN REJALI ATION (Rec. 12.0) LONDON, May 14. The Luftwaffe heavily raided Chelmsford. U.S AND BRITISH RAIDS ON FRANCE. RUGBY, May 13. The Air Ministry and Headquarters of the United States Army m Europe announce: “A strong force cl heavy; bombers of the United States Eighth' Air Force attacked an important industrial target and airfields in Northern France this afternoon. The main attack was delivered against the enemy air-frame factory and repair shop at Meaulte, while the airfields at St. Omer were bombed at the same time, lhe weather was favourable and bombing results were good. The K-A.F. ; U.S.A.A.F., Dominion and Allied lighters supported the bombers. The fighters had many encounters with enemy aircraft, six of which were destroyed. Many enemy aircraft were also destroyed by the bombers. Three bombers and five fighters are missing. Six Focke-Wulf 190’s were destroyed by Spitres during the sweeps over Northern France, this afternoon, while Mitchell bombers, escorted by other Spitfires, bombed the marshalling yards at Boulogne. Of the machines destroyed a Norwegian squadron got two, and a Canadian squadron four, and damaged others. Mosquito aircraft shot up five locomotives over France yesterday. Iwo of them were accounted for by an Australian pilot who recently damaged six trains in six minutes.