FIFTH RAID

Grey River Argus, 29 November 1943, Page 5

FIFTH RAID

ON FRIDAY NIGHT BERLIN GETS 1000 TONS Stuttgart and Bremen Bombed THIRTY TWO BOMBERS MISSING. (8.0.W. Rec. 6.30.) RUGBY, Nov. 27. The Air Ministry announced: “Our heavy bombers were over Germany in very great strength on Friday night. Berlin was the main target. Fires due to previous attacks were still burning. The weather was good. Crews report that markers were well concentrated and that the bombing was most effective. “Another strong force on Friday night attacked Stuttgart, where large fires were left burning, particuround the rail centre. Mines were laid in enemy waters. Intruders, one oR which is missing, attacked em emy airfields over a wide area. “Thirty-two of our. bombers are missing.” Two names famous in Australian air history. Kingsford Smith and Ulm. were among those who took part m the raid on Berlin on Friday night. One was that of Rollo Kingsford Smith (nephew of the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith), while the Ulm family was represented by John Ulm, twenty-two year old son of C. T. P Ulm.

The attack on Berlin was the first to be made with a large force of heavy bombers, all of them Lancasters. There was clear weather. This enabled every enemy fighter squadron to get into the air. > It is known that they not find it difficult to find the powerful force of bombers flying hundreds of miles across Germany. But the fighters failed completely to break up the concentrated attack. It was a signal victory, not only for the Bomber Command but also for the United States Eighth Air Force which just before attacked Bremen ■ in great strength and thus took the edge off the German counter-attack against the R.A.F. raiders. In just over twenty minutes, more than one thousand tons of high explosive bombs and incendiaries were dropped by the Lancasters on Berlin. The attack began at 8.45 p.m. Several of the bombers were held in cones for five or six minutes, with the enemy’s flak bursting all round them, but escaped by evasive action. A member of one bomber crew said: “It was a great action for Dominion squadrons in the Bomber Command. A new Australian - Lancaster squadron, commanded by Wing Commander Rollo Kingsford Smith, made its first op. erational flight.” Friday night’s raid on Berlin was the fifth on successive nights It is estimated that about one thousand tons of bombs were dropped, making the total for Berlin this year about thirteen thousand tons. The Germans Overseas News Agency stated that the bombers came 'by way of South-west Germany. This attack was much weaker than the raids of Monday and Tuesday nights. A great detour over South-western Germany was taken by the enemy. This was partly because of the weather, and partly it was to mislead the German defences. Therefore the raiders carried a much smaller bomb load. . The Berlin radio, in a special announcement, described the raid as another terror attack. It said: ‘ German fighters engaged the raiders throughout their course to the capital and there were many air battles over Berlin itself. Fifteen of the raiders were shot down before reaching the capital. More were brought down later." • The Germans have recently beeii forced by the weight of the Allied day and night attacks to ignore their old division of labour between their single-engined day fighters and twinengined night-fighters. Both have to so up bv da v and by night, and no fighter force can put out its full strength in two costly battles fought under totally different conditions, within a few hours. Apart from this, Air Chief Mar ® hai Harris chose a rout for the R.A.JI . Z 1 would lead the German fighters astray and at thei same time, laid a second formidable attack, mainly by Halifaxes, on Stuttgart far down in Southern Germany. A Canadian bomber group was out. in force over both Berlin a "J o-art The raiders against Stuttgart evaded night-fighters, but over Stuttgart there was almost contmuous, though not very thick cloud There was a good concentration of target indicators, and the crews saw la rge fires under the cloud when they left, the city. Third of Berlin already in ruins. (Rec 12.5 ) LONDON, Noy. 28. It is unofficially estimated mi Loi - dnn that over one third of Berlin , ahead; in Sns. This devastat lo n | was achieved in under two hours; o£ actual bombing at a cost than one hundred and bomben., The Stockholm Dagensnyhe Berlin correspondent reports. Ex plosions occurred m the capital dav on Saturdav mostly from time bombs and also from gangs of dynamiters blowing up buildings in an tempt to isolate fires. „ £ or When bombers were tak , = Berlin on Fridav night an at an English aerodrome w r ecKea seven cottages, killed a cyclist caused widespread minor damage. 8100 Casualties IN three RAIDS. EXODUS' FROM BERLIN. LONDON, Nov. 26. Rain has begun in Berlin, the population its first relief iron fire and smoke since Monday. tU ers have had to wear goggles or noia handkerchiefs over their faces as a protection from sparks, ashes, anu smoke. All offices have been closed and employees have been given time off while air raid protection work and cleaning is being carried out. One Swedish correspondent likens Berlin to a battlefield after a prolonged artillery barrage. Undamaged factories arc riot working because of transport difficulties. Swedish officials stated most of the damage was caused by fire, but comparatively lev/ people were killed compared with Hamburg, where narrow streets trapped thousands. Swedish officials just arrived m Sweden after touring the ruined city, decdare that the heart of Berlin is virtually wiped out. German officials estimate the casnJniesfn the three raids on Berlin this week, including the attack by Mo«qffito bombers, at 43,000 dead and seriously injured, reports the v’’2hanr/o Telegraph’s Stockholm correspondentf A. semi-official statement

says that one-fourth of Berlin was destroyed, mciuaing over hall the centre or the city. Fire-lignung and clearing away debris are still going on. . The Zurich correspondent or the Exchange Telegraph Agency, reports 1 that nearly ail tne theatres in tne centre of Berlin have been wrecked. Major Olaf Norazell, a Swedish Army explosives expert, who arrived in Stockholm by air to-day, said that a tour of Berlin yesterday left the impression that between 50 ana 100 per cent, of the cityl’s centre had been destroyed. Mr. Sune Lucdquist head of the Swedish A.R.P. Building Department, who accompanied Major Nordzell, summed up the destruction as follows: “In the central parts of the city about one house in ten or fifteen has been hit by high explosives and the intermediate ones damaged by incendiaries. I estimate that 90 per cent of all the damaged houses were damaged by fire. The casualties were strikingly small compared with the dimensions of the attacks and destruction. This is probably because the streets are wide enough to allow people to escape the fires. Other reports from Berlin state that no bread or milk was on sale in Berlin shops yesterday. Crowds of people waited vainly outside the shops for supplies. Many people are still sleeping in the debris-littered streets. The firemen have been so busy that they have been unable to dig into the ruined air raid shelters for the bodies of victims. Rescue work fins been confined to a few areas as systematic clearing up is impossible at present. It will take months. The telephone between Berlin and Stockholm is working again. Telegraph communication is still suspended and messages are reaching Berlin via Hamburg. RUSH TO LEAVE. LONDON, Nov. 26. The Stockholm correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency states that the German Ministry of Munitions, which is now situate in Breslau, is appealing to factories to send copies of documents destroyed in Berlin. z , The old Nazi slogan, “Fuehrer, we thank you,” has been chalked on Berlin’s bomb-shattered buildings, state reports from Switzerland. _ The Berlin correspondent of a Swiss newspaper declared: “It is impossible to stop the flight of Berliners from the city; despite the Government’s energetic measures, and tne fact that those leaving the city without a permit are not given food cards. After hours of most complete disorganisation, the authorities have begun to concentrate on those who have been left homeless, and who are estimated to number 400,000. l ae Y will apparently be senf ( to a collection camp. Thousands of foreign workers are being sent to Berlin to reinforce the fire fighters and rescue workers. ** According to “Vrij Nederland,” a Dutch newspaper published in London. the entire Dutch populations ot Utrecht and Indhoven have been ordered to move out to make room for bombed-out Germans. The Dutch must leave their houses in P erf ®ct order. Only books and a few clothes may be taken away. BERLIN FOOD SHORTAGE. (Rec. 6.30) LONDON. Nov. 27. Messages from Stockholm prior to Friday night’s raid on Berlin, said the city was still burning on Friday. Passengers arriving at Malmoe from Berlin included the tennis player Von Cramm. He seemed still to oe shaken by the bombings. “Terrible! Terrible he repeated. Other passengers said that in Berlin milk still 'was unobtainable, while meat, gas, and water supplies were meagre.