U.S.A. RAID

Grey River Argus, 22 October 1943, Page 5

U.S.A. RAID

IN WESTERN GERMANY. 8.0.W. RUGBY, Oct. 20. The daylight air offensive against Germany was resumed to-day when American heavy bombers escorted by Thunderbolts a'nd Spitfires attacked targets in Western Germany. Duren the Target ELEVEN ENEMY PLANES DOWNED. EIGHT FORTRESSES MISSING (Rec. 10.40) LONDON, Oct. 21. The Air Ministry and United States Air Foree in a joint communique stated: On Wednesday strong formations of Flying Fortresses attacked a non-ferrous metal plant at Duren and the Gilzen-Rijen airfield, Holland. Fortresses shot down two enemy planes. Escorting Thunderbolts shot down six planes. R.A.F., Dominion and Allied Spitfires destroyed three planes. There are eight Flying Fortresses missing. Berlin radio says the raid occurred at mid-day.

R.A.F. BOMBS LEIPSIG.

(Rec. 12.40 a.m.) LONDON, Oct 21. Bomber Command planes were over Germany in strength .on Wednesday night, with Leips.g as the main objective. Mosquitoes bombed targets in Berlin and Western Germany. There are seventeen planes missing. The extent to which Germany has been compelled to divert fighter air strength this, year, to the western front was emphasised in London. Last January, under .half the German i fighter strength was on the western front and one-third was stationed on the Russian front. To-day two-thirds i are on the western front, and under one-third on the Russian front, — which unquestionably has been a very important factor in . the Russian success recently. One-fifth of the German fighters were on the Mediterranean front last January, but in October it decreased to one-ninth, although in the last few days it has been strengthened. When the R.A.F. starts operations from the Foggia air-field on Southern Germany and the Balkans the German fighter strength will be still further stretched.

Wing-Commander Barry Nicholl of Wellington is shortly to command the New Zealand Catalina Flyingboat Squadron. He will succeed Wing-Commander D. W. Baird, A.F.C. Two squadrons of Spitfires, although heavily outnumbered accounted for nine German fighters over Northern France this morning, without loss to themselves. In the hundred days between July 9 and October 17, 1943, (the height of the campaign season), Allied and Dominion forces (exclusive of American) flew 37.000 sorties, apart for flights of the Coastal Command. In the same 100 days, the United States forces made 24,000 sorties dropping 18.000 tons of bombs on the fortress of Europe. By night, in this 100 days, the enemy dropped 408 tons of bombs on Britain, losing ten per cent, of their strength. The R.A.F., in the same period dropped 56,000 tons of bombs on the Fortress of Europe, including 48,000 tons on Germany. The nightlv average of tons of bombs dropped on Germany exceeded that of the heaviest raid ever made on Britain. The nightly average over Europe was 560 tons. R.A.F. losses in percentage were less than in the similar period of 1942, despite the greatly increased German defences. R.A.F. attacks included seven between 500 and a' 1,000 tons, nine between 1,000 and 2,000 tons, and ten over 2,000 tons. During the 100 days na German aeroplane dropped a bomb on Britain by day, although in the corresponding period of 1940, enemy ’planes flew over 20,000 sorties over England by day