Greatly Strengthened Defences in Ruhr

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 151, 28 June 1943, Page 5

Greatly Strengthened Defences in Ruhr

heavy cloud OBSCURED TARGETS

LONDON, June 25. “The Germans in the Wuppertal raid on Thursday night tried to make a bigger effort than ever to hold off the Allied bombers from the Ruhr area. Scores of - searchlights and a heavy barrage greeted them. Crews reported that the coast defences had obviously been strengthened, but a far more intense struggle awaited them when they reached the Ruhr on their way to Elberfeld,” states the Air Ministry News Service. “Huge belts of searchlights tried to spotlight the bombers and light and heavy guns plumbed flak through the beams. One pilot was caught in the searchlights for 20 minutes when he reached the Ruhr area and his plane was hit several times before ho reached his objective, “The Germans reinforced their defences by sending up many night fighters. Despite all this opposition, the bombers arrived over Elberfeld on tiYne and fires were soon started below. One bomber was hit by incendiaries from above. These fell into the bomb bay and the doors were opened to let them drop out,” the News Service concludes. American Eighth Air Force bombers fought a battle in the clouds over Northwest Germany to-day when a large formation of Fortresses bound for vital targets in the enemy homeland on countered a solid wall of clouds as they reached the German coast. Ploughing through the foglike bank, the bombers broke through into stretches of bright sunlight, but the ground was totally obscured. Out of the clouds came swarms of fighters to dive upon some groups. Countless individual battles raged as the big bombers slipped into and through the cloud*, and back into the bright sunlight, always urging on towards the target. New relays of enemy fighters joined in the melee and the battle became fiercer. A large number of enemy planes are known to have been destroyed, but it is doubtful if the exact number ran be determined as visibility was too poor to permit* the observation of results of the scores of encounters.

When the formation reached the spot where the instruments told them they should find their objectives, the cloudbank still obscured the ground in most places. Some of the bombers found rifts and dived through them, searching for the target. “In no instance was it possible to observe the bombing results satisfactorily while over Northwest Germany, 7 ’ states the Headquarters in the European theatre of the United States Army. The battle continued as the forma tion turned for home and encounters were many on the return journey.