SATURDAY’S TARGETS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 112, 10 April 1944, Page 5

SATURDAY’S TARGETS

HEAVY RAID ON BRUNSWICK. (Rec. 11.40 a.m.) RUGBY, April 9. The Eighth LLiited States Air Force attacked German aircraft industries at Brunswick and enemy aerodromes in North-West Germany on Saturday.' Strong forces of Thunderbolts, Lightnings, and Mustangs carried out the attack. Attacks were also made on Hasselt and Coxyde (Belgium) and enemy positions in the Touraine. area (France). Headquarters of the U.S. Strategic

Air Force states that Liberators and Fortresses attacked two aircraft plants at BrunsAvick and other important aerodromes in., the Northern Ruhr. The attack Avas co-ordinated Avith a sweep by Eighth Air Force Lightnings and Tliunderholts against aerodromes in the Frankfurt area. The objectives were bombed visually Avith good results. The aerodromes attacked were Oldenburg, a fighter and night fighter base, and Schmer, an air repair base. The bombers encountered no fighter opposition as the Luftwaffe concentrated its strength to protect Brunsivick, Avliere fierce air battles Avere fought. R,A.F. Mustangs which took part in escorting the fighters attacked a Avidc variety of targets as they returned over Germany. They strafed three signal boxes, two steam tugs, 21 factories, some military trucks, motor barges, two airfields, hangars, water towers, camouflaged gun emplacements,, two gasometers, a dredger, tAvo camps, three' sets of • railway installations, a' flak tower, and gun post. Only one Mustang failed to return. . . FACTORIES DAMAGED.

Photographs taken during and following the attack yesterday riliow- considerable damage to the AVilhemitor and Ncupctritor Mollo"fighter components factories at Brunswick and to nearby Avorks, says a' United States communique. There was also damage to a ■ nearby motor transport industry, several unidentified factories and main railway 'marshalling 1 ' yards. "A number of Avorkshops were severely damaged by the heavy concontNition of bombs. All the most important' buildings Avere hit except the WilkcAverks plant Avhicli makes boilers,'structural steel and equipment for the chemical industry., _■ Sixty enemy aircraft* are claimed to have been shot down in aerial combat on Saturday by Liberators of the Eighth. Air Force attacking aircraft factories at Brunswick. Fortresses attacking enemy aerodromes in Germany encountered no enemy aircraft. Thunderbolts, Lightnings, and . Mustangs escorting the bombers on the sweep to Frankfurt claimed that 88 enemy, fighters were destroyed in the air. .

Bombing together for tho first time Marauders and Thunderbolt fighter-bombers of the Ninth U.S. Air Force early this lifter noon joined in a powerful attack on the railway centre of Hassell, an important junction on. tho Antwerp-Maaslricht-Aachcn line. Almost simultaneously a smaller formation of Marauders with a Thunderbolt escort struck at tho Coxydc airfield on tho Belgian coast. No enemy aircraft came up to challenge the attacking forces and none of our bombers or fighters is missing. In all, over 200 medium bombers struck out over tho Channel during the noon hours to attack these targets. The crews reported that the action was particularly successful. Tho Marauder task force which attacked Coxydo reported that shops and buildings were left on fire and hits were scored on runways. An R.C.A.F.' squadron of tho Second Tactical Air Force flew Spitfire fighterbombers from Britain for the first lime to make diving attacks on military objectives. In all the clay’s operations our fighters destroyed 148 enemy aircraft in the air ns well as others destroyed or damaged on the ground. Thirty-four bombers and 24 fighters are mining.—Official Wireless.'