GROWING POWER

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 199, 24 July 1941, Page 7

GROWING POWER

BOMBING OF GERMANY. GREAT LOADS 0E MISSILES. (United Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 a.m.) RUGBY, July 23. Planes of the Bomber Command attacked industrial targets at Frankfurt, Mannheim, other places in Western Germany, and aerodromes in Northern France last night. Hone of ours is missing. Replying in the House of Commons to a question, the Air Minister (Sir Archibald Sinclair) said the scope oi tho R.A.F. operations was increasing both by day and night. “Night bombing oil a heavy scale,” he continued, “is being steadily and skilfully maintained and evidence of tho damage accumulating is published as soon as it is available. Bv day we are forcing a reluctant enemy to give battle. We are inflicting substantial damage on factories, communications, shipping, and the fighter forces. What is still more important we are compelling the enemy to maintain large air forces in tho West to resist our growing assaults.” The Bomber Command, added the Minister, dropped in May of this year more than twice the tonnage of bombs dropped in May of last year, and in June dropped more than half as much again as was dropped in May.

Speaking of air parity, Sir Archibald said no efforts were being spared to obtain first parity with, and then overwhelming superiority over, tho German air lorce. Asked whether these attacks were succeeding in bringing relief to our Russian Allies and whether there was any indication that the Luitwaffe was heading for the West, he replied : “1 think ! had bettor not say what our information is about the movements of the Luftwaffe, but certainly the attacks both by day and night arc bringing strong pressure to bear on the Germans and wo know they are having a considerable effect upon the morale ol the German people.” Seven Blenheim aircraft of the Bomber Command were out this morning and afternoon searching lor enemy shipping off the coast of Franco and the Low Countries. A coastal vessel was stink and another damaged. Other Blenheims, escorted by a strong force of fighters, bombed objectives near St. Omer early in the afternoon. Our fighters encountered a number of enemy lighters and destroyed five. Our losses were five bombers and five fighters, but the pilot of one fighter is safe. An Admiralty communique says a German bomber, believed to have been a Heinkol 111, was shot down last night by combined anti-aircraft fire from one of our convoys and its escort. Tho bomber attempted to attack the convoy, but was promptly shot down. It is officially stated tliat no enemy aircraft crossed tho coasts of Britain to-dav. ‘ RAILWAYS POUNDED.

Describing Monday night’s continuation of the R.A.F.’s attack on industrial German, the Air Ministry News Service states, although the night was very dark the weather otherwise was good for bombing when a strong force of Bomber Command aircraft did great execution among industrial buildings in Frankfurt-on-Main and Mannheim.

The important railway yard was the focus of attack at Frankfurt, which is one of tho. chief commercial centres of Germany and lies at a strategic point on the great trade routes between the north and south. Tho crow of ono aircraft said they saw bombs burst along the railway yard and then saw an explosion which destroyed a large building. Many fires in the yard were also reported. Elsewhere, especially in the neighbourhood of tho main railway station, there were largo and wellestablished fires burning among the clouds of smoke.

At Mannheim glimpses of the river led the first few crews to the attack and soon there were good fires burning to guide their successors. The industrial areas both in Mannheim and the suburb of Ltidwigshaven across tho Rhine were vigorously bombed. The flash of ono of the most powerful bombs lit up aircraft flying well above 12,000 ft.

Ono crew reported lights in France arranged in tlie shape of a V and the report was at first received with a sceptical smile by the interrogating officer, but other crews had also seen this and other V’s both in Franco and the Low Countries. They were not, the crews said, anything like tlie lights of an aerodrome. One V was made by white lights enclosed in a circlo of red lights, another by five yellow tights in each arm They varied between 12ft and 50ft in length, but a V in Belgium seemed to be about 100 yards long and was made of continuous lines of light like a neon sign, as the pilot said who reported it. THE NERVOUS NAZIS.

“What the Hun found unprofitable to do last year over Britain we arc now doing easily,” said a group-cap-tain in a broadcast talk. “Sometimes twice or threo times a day wo are escorting our heaviest bombers in broad daylight to targets further into occupied France than London stands within our shores. From June 14 to July 14 our tighter pilots in these sweeps destroyed 311 German aircraft and probably destroyed or damaged many others for the loss of 91 of our pilots. Our bombers themselves shot down four more of the enemy’s fighters. “I wish you could see the Hun now as J. see him upon his AVestern Front. Once so sure of himself and so arrogant, lie is apprehensive now and is already showing a marked disinclination to fight. This relentless coming for him over his own aerodromes is having its effect. Man tor man, tlio ascendancy of our pilots won last year is being added to daily. The effect of all this on his morale, barely noticeable as yet, will of course in its cumulative effect pave the way to bis ultimate defeat.” —Official Wireless.