VERY LARGE FORCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 121, 20 April 1944, Page 5

VERY LARGE FORCE

U.S. PLANES OVER CASSEL. FACTORIES ATTACKED. (Bee. U a.m.) LONDON, April 19 United States Eighth Air *orce Liberators and Flying Fortresses raided Germany in very great strength for the second time within 24 hours, states an omcial announcement.

The bombers attacked Luftwaffe fighter factories at Cassel. Enemy aircraft parks ii* Ateschlug (south-east of Cassel) and also Paderborn Giithersloh and Lippstadt we.e attacked. All are'east of Hamm. - . V>rv strong forces of the Eighth and Ninth Air Force's Thunderbolts, Lightnings, and. Mustangs escorted the heavy bombers. The Press Association s aviation correspondent snys that the term ''very -real strength" indicates that between 750 arid 1000 bombers were employed. United States Marauders later this morning attacked military objectives on the "const of Northern France. 1 hey were escorted and covered by R.A.r., U.N.Z.A.F, and Allied Spitfires and United' States Thunderbolts.

EARLIER DEVASTATION. According to the Official Wireless photographs made during yesterday s American attacks on Germany show bomb hits on enemy aircraft plants at Oranienburg and Rathenau, in the Berlin area, on a rayon plant at Wittenburg 75 miles north-west ot .Berlin an 'airfield at Luneburg, 25 miles south-oast of Hamburg, on Perleberg, near VVittenburg, and on docksido warehouses at Cuxhaven, on the North Sea, at the mouth of the River Elbe. , „ „ Two patterns of bombs fell across the Heinkel 177 components plant at Oranienburg, hitting four major buildings and numerous smaller ones. On an adjacent airfield a sub-assembly or repair building and a gun-testing range were hit and left burning. Ot 39 aircraft on the field at least eight Heinkel- 177 long-range bombers were destroyed or damaged. At Rathenau. 40 miles west ol Berlin, the aircraft component plant was hit by a heavy concentration of explosives and incendiaries. Two out of three major buildings received direct hits; fires were started in the barracks area and the plant area was obscured by smoke rising several thousand feet at the end of the Large fires were also started in the Wittenburg rayon plant area and the adjaci.nt dockside. '. At Cuxhaven a pattern of bombs was strung across warehouses along the docks and a number of bombs fell in the nearbv marshalling yards. Good concentrations hit the hangar areas on Luneberg and Perleberg airfields, and at Luneberg three aircraft were destroyed or damaged on the ground. Of the very strong fighter escort flown bv the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces, '45 planes were lost—oncjess than previously announced.

GERMANS PLAY SAFE. The German fighters again played safe during the great raid against Cassel this morning, says the British United Press correspondent at a Fortress base in England, quoted

by the Press Association. Between 75 and 100 made one run through the Fortress formation as it was making its bombing run and then dived for safety before the Mustang escort could engage them. The Luftwaffe left few fighters to harass the bombers as it withdrew, but this was a suicide attempt in tho face of nearly 1000 fighters which were protecting the task forces over Germany. The first returning fighters sa.id that the weather was perfect, but the flak over Cassel was the heaviest yet experienced. Fighter pilots who escorted the United States bombers over German targets reported that they shot down 16 enemy fighters. The bomber gunners reported shooting down five enemy fighters. From this large-scale operation five bombers "and two fighters failed to return.

A supplementary communique states that late this afternoon Liberators, with Thunderbolt escorts from tho Fighbh Air Force, bombed military objectives in tho Pas dc Calais area while other Thunderbolts conducted offensive patrols over Holland. No enemy fighters were seen but the flak was intense. Ono bomber was lost.