BIG U.S.A. RAIDS

Grey River Argus, 26 February 1944, Page 5

BIG U.S.A. RAIDS

ON GERMAN PLANTS ► From British and Italian Bases [Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.] LONDON, Feb. 24. United States Headquarters states: ‘‘Strong forces of heavy bombers ol the Eighth U.S.A Army Air Force attacked an aircraft factory, at Gotha, a ball-bearing factory at Schweinfort, and other targets in Germany, .on Thursday A.A.F., R.A.F., Dominion, and Allied fighters supported the attacking forces. The bombing marked the fourth day of a record-break-ing air offensive against the German j fighter aircraft industry and related plants. The Press Association’, aviation correspondent says: A great armada obombers and fighters flew out from British bases on Thursday lor the fourth day of a record-breaking air ' offensive against German aeroplane plants and related industries. Heavy bombers hit. targets at Gotha and Schweinfurt. , , . A British United Press despatch from a bomber base says: ‘One oi the greatest air battles of the war was fought by Liberators and Fortresses cutting, across the heart of Germany to bomb Gotha and Schweinfurt, making round flights of nearly one thousand miles. Hundreds of heavy bombers flew under cover of a Y great fighter escort. The bomber (ft force split before reaching the tarW gets. Pilots said they were under ’ fighter attack en route to the targe, for ninety minutes. Fockwulfs and Messerschmitts, six and seven abreast, attacked nose on, and tried to sneak, in between the waves of escort, and also tried to sweep up from below. Anti-aircraft fire was very heavy and a smokescreen was laid in an effort to hide the target. One airman said that German machines came up from every airfield from the Channel all the way to the target and beyond. They some times brushed the wingtips of the Fortresses which took , long steady runs over their targets and hit them squarely.” The correspondent adds: The raid against the Messerschmitt assembly plant at Gotha is described as a big success. Pilots reported that the German defenders used suicide tactics but could not stop the bombers reaching the targets. The correspondent commenting on pilots' reports of results of their concentrated bombing says: The Germans will restart the reconstruction work carried out at Schweinfurt. , which restored seventy per cent, of y the ball-bearing produclion after the « plants were devastated by ra’ds last, autumn.

37 ENEMY PLANES DESTROYED. LONDON, Feb. 2-4. The U.S. Air Force Headquarters states: Tabulation of enemy planes destroyed on Thursday’s raids has not been Completed, but the Eighth and Ninth Air Force lighters and R.A.F. and Dominion fighters destroyed 37 enemy planes.

The Raid from Italy I £8 MILLION DAMAGE. TO AUSTRIAN FACTORIES'. I Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.] (Ree. 9.50) LONDON, Feb. 24. An Allied communique from Italy stated Allied heavy bombers on Thursday attacked an aircraft components plant at Steyr, causing many explosions and fires, and an oil refinery at Fiume. American heavy bombers based in Italy, attacked a plane factory at Steyr on Thursday. This assault was co-lordinated with the attacks from Britain against Gotha and Schweinfurs. This was the second such co-ordinated attack in three days by two heavy bomber forces directed by t'he United States ’Strategic Air Forces in Europe. Two great plants in Steyr were bombed for a second time. They are the Steyr Diamler factory which is making Messerschmitt fuselages and other parts, and the Steyr Waffenflug Motorenfabrik Walzlagerwerke, which is an entirely new plant. Fortresses fought their way through strong enemy fighter formations. They left the Daimler factory ablaze. The crews report the entire target was covered in an eighteen minute attack. Other Fortresses attacked an oil refinery at Steyr. At least twenty-nine German fighters were shot down in the two American raids. After the first raid, on the Steyr aircraft plants, fires were blazing over an area of six square miles. It is believed many hundreds of skilled workers were buried in the plants and in air raid shelters. Estimates set damage" inflicted to the factories at eight million pounds. The Italian-based raid was on a factory in Austria for the second day running. They were escorted by Thunderbolts and Lightnings. The attack lasted only eighteen minutes, but it was a crowded eighteen minutes and the entire target was covered with bombs. Other Fortresses attacked an oil refinery at Fiume on the Adriatic. At least twenty-nine planes were shot down.

156 ENEMY 'PLANES DOWNED. BY U.S. RAIDERS. [Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.] (Rec 10.) LONDON, Feb. 25. The U.S.A.AF, in a communique, states that the American bombers and fighters destroyed 156 enemy ’planes, over Germany on Thursday. 0! these, the British-based heavy bombers destroyed eighty-three and the fighters thirty-seven, while the Ital-ian-based 'planes,destroyed thirty-six. 49 U.S. PLANES MISSING. AND TEN ESCORTS. FAus. & N.Z. Press Assn.] (Rec. 10.40) LONDON Feb. 24 The 1 United States Air Force Headquarters in London has announced forty-nine planes of the US. Eighth Air Force have failed to return ir.om the raid operations on Thursday. Ten escorting fighters have failed •to return. r.A.F. ALSO ATTACKS SCHWEINFURT. , P(sr » 1 o ) LONDON, Feb. 25. Berlin radio announced that British bombers attacked Schweinfurt on Thursday nighty RAIDS IN FRANCE. RUGBY, Feb. 24. The offensive bjl the Allied expedi- .. 1 2™, -ir force con tnwed this morntlonaJ,hen R A.F. Typhoon bombers atmilitary objectives in Northtackrrrance and Marauders of the ?T in -f£l States Ninth Air Force atUnited Hol]an , L Marau . tacked air “ orted - and covered by &' Dominion, and Allied fighters. Association’s aviation Th «nondent says: Medium bombers co a fighter bombers continued nonand ngme „ secret weapon stop ?qf Northern France. Other mecoast ffifbombers attacked the ©heSancls/airfields at Leouwarden,

and Enenerigen, in Holland. Continuing the offensive this afternoon, Marauder and medium bombers of the United States Ninth Air Force attacked military objectives in Pas De Calais. Thev were escorted and covered by( R.A.F. and Allied fighters. On Wednesday, a small number of Typhoons and Spitfires, one of which is missing attacked enemy shipping at Zeebrugge, states the Air Ministry. At night, Mosquitoes of the Bomber Command attacked objectives in Western Germany without loss.