VAST AIR FLEETS

Grey River Argus, 5 February 1945, Page 5

VAST AIR FLEETS

STRIKE IN GERMANY For Three Days and Nights (Rec. 7.40) ’ LONDON, Feb. 4 The British Air Ministry stated:—■ On Friday night R.A.F. bombers were over Germany in very £reat strength, over twelve hundred aircraft being engaged. Weisbacten, Karlsruhe and a synthetic oil plant at Wanne Eiekel were the main 1 objectives. Mannheim and Medge--1 burg were also bombed. Nignt -> fighters and Intruder aircraft sup- , ported the bombers and attacked air- , fields. Twenty-five of our aircraft - are missing. Weisbaden is a large i town with many barracks and hoteis, - where troops are billeted for rest and i refitting. It is connected with Mainz, which R.A.F. bombers attacked on f Thursday night, by a bridge across . the Rhine. It has a normal popurn- . tion of 166 thousasd. Another strong , force of Lancasters attacked the ’ communications and industrial , centre, Karlsruhe, which, comparea ; with other large industrial towns m > west and south-west Germany, has large undamaged areas. A force composed ' mainly of Halifaxes was ; despatched to the synthetic oil ■ plant at Wanne-Eickle in the Runr. This was put out of action last aut- ■ unin, and agpin last month, but n«s just resumed partial output. From ! dusk on Friday night until dawn on Saturday morning, R..A.F. Mosquitos 1 flew deep into Germany in wiae- ‘ spread raids on rail targets. 'Hie deepest pentration was to Magdeburg, eighty miles west of Berlin. At least three hundred railway . wagons Were destroyed, or damaged. Mosquitos found marshalling yards at Dillenburg, fifty miles east o£ Bonn, crammed and bombs were seen to fall in the middle of eight lines of trucks. Attacks were also made on rail targets n Osnabruck and Flanover, and in the region of Cologne and Kassel, and on the DortmundEms Canal at Papenburg. One aircraft is missing from the night operations.

A British-American communique on Friday’s operations staled; “ConI tinuing an offensive against enemy I communications and transport, meu- : ium and fighter bombers in strengui struck at targets from Groningen j (north Holland) to Beufbrisach : (south-east of Colmar). They opI erated in battle areas and eastward I into Germany. Railway yards ana I bridges were bombed, and railway j 1 lines were cut in many places, and a large number of locomotives amt railway carriages were either destroyed or damaged. A considerable number of motor and armoured venicles also were hit. In Colmar area fighter bombers strafed enemy forces from dawn to dusk, and ‘inflicted heavy losses on transport. Au oil refinery and fuel dump near Emmerich and targets at Euskirchen, Gemund, Stadtkyll, and Hillsheim were attacked by medium bombers. During Friday’s operations sixtyfour locomotives, 1,312 railway cars, and 274 motor vehicles, including -several armoured vehicles, and tames were either destroyed or damaged, railway lines were cut in 125 places. Three enemy aircraft were destroyed ; in the air, and several others on tne . ground. Two Allied bombers and thirteen fighters are missing. On Thursday and the same nignt, R.A.F. bombers over Germany drop- . per 4,750 tons of bombs. Between , 1,400 and 1.500 aircraft took part in , these attacks, the great majority j bombing key railway targets on the i Western Front. Berlin had two at- 3 tacks from Mosquitos and 2,000 lb-, , bombs were used. An attack on Munchen-Gladbach on. Thursday 3 afternoon, and three attacks on Luo- ] wigshaven, Mainz, and Siegen, >in t darkness, were designed to prevent < the enemy from hurrying troops aiid ; equipment’ from the west to 1 the cas- a tern front. Fires at Ludwigshaven [ could be seen from 100 miles away— 1 and there were explosions particul- i arly at Mainz. On Thursday night, r 1,450 R.A.F. planes were over Ger» many, twelve bombers being lost. ■ (