Crippling Blows at Germany’s War Industries

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 43, 23 February 1944, Page 5

Crippling Blows at Germany’s War Industries

Seven Thousand Tons Of Bombs in Two Days (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) Received Tuesday, 9 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 22. At least 5000 Allied planes in the last 48 hours have struct crippling blows at Germany’s war industries, says the Daily Telegraph’s aviation correspondent. He estimates that more than 7000 tons of hombs have been dropped on specified military objectives, compared with the 200 to 300 tons dropped at random over Britain. The British United Press says that Fortresses and Liberators, with lighter escorts, ranged at will over a number of targets in Northwest Germany today. The bombers were almost as numerous as in the great raid on Sunday, hut returned to the attack in daringly small formations. The bombers worked under the protection of approximately 1000 fighters. Their crews believe the German air force is exhausted. They flew across Germany as though in a practice flight. Only one bomber group met heavy opposition. A United States Air Force communique says that fighter-escorted heavy bombers in daylight to-day attacked aircraft factories and aerodromes at Brunswick and Hanover and also large aircraft parks and other military installations near the Netherlands border. Thirty-three enemy aircraft were destroyed. Fifteen bombers and five fighters are missing. United States Headquarters in Europe yesterday stated that fighters and bombers of the Army Air Force destroyed 126 enemy aircraft in the air on Sunday while carrying out the largest daylight air attacks in history against fighter aircraft plants and other targets in Germany. Heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force accounted for 65 and A.A.F. fighters destroyed 61. A final assessment of the losses shows that 21 bombers and three fighters are missing. In addition to the other target military installations at Rostock, Germany, and on the Baltic coast were attacked in Sunday’s operations. DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT PLANTS. The United States Strategic Ait Forces in Europe state that photographs show that major damage was done to important fighter aircraft factories at Leipzig, Brunswick, Bombers and other military targets in Germany during Sunday’s immense operations. Two main assembly buildings at a Messerschmitt-109 single-engined fighter assembly plant at Leipzig-Mockau was damaged severely by direct hits and two flight hangars at an airfield adjoining the factory were damaged as well. Photographs show fires blazing at the related ME-109 component plant at Leipzig-Heiterblick. Another Leipzig fighter type factory making two-engined JU-88’g was hit in Sunday’s attacks and buildings producing major components and housing assembly works were badly damaged. At Bemberg, the principal German assembly plant for the new fighter version of the twin-engined JU-88’s and the new JU-88’s was heavily damaged by direct hits on the assembly buildings. At Brunswick-Nenpetritor, the main factory building, a workshop and machine-shops of the Messersehmitt-110 component plant were left burning and there were direct hits on a power station. Tho best available evidence shows that the results of Sunday’s record daylight attack were:— Firstly: There was no production to-day at either of the factories near Leipzig which immediately prior to the attack were manufacturing approximately 38 per cent, of Germany’s single-engino fighter aircraft or in the twin-engine assembly plant at Bemberg, where Germany was producing approximately 30 per cent, of her twinengine fighters. Secondly: It is estimated that the bombing of the major twin-engine fighter component factories in Brunswick, where production was previously Interrupted by our attack on January 11, has postponed the reestablishment of production fur another three to four months. This information was given by MajorGeneral Anderson, deputy commander of operations of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe. TRIAL FOR LUFTWAFFE The continuous heavy air attacks against Germany which had their saturation of Stuttgart’s defences as the most recent phase have put a terrific strain on the Luftwaffe. Apart from their continuous labours against the day and night sweeps by terrific forces of Allied machines, many German fighters have been shot down or disabled by the raiders, who have stretched the Nazi defences by attacking many targets. After facing the attackers day and night for 24 hours, the Luftwaffe appeared unable to face the Lancasters and Halifaxes raiding Stuttgart in the strength shown od the previous night when the force bombing Leipzig was attacked all the way to the target. Last night many pilots reported that they got through to Stuttgart without seeing fighters. Some flares went down over the city after the attack started and there were several combats while the 2000 tons of bombs saturated the city, but even there there were fewer fighters than have been reported for some time. The ground barrage was heavy, one pilot commenting that the flak appeared so near that he felt he could put out his hand and touch it. An experienced pilot who bombed both Leipzig and Stuttgart said that ’ undoubtedly the Luftwaffe was feeling the strain. Even apart from the large i number of fighters the Americans shot r down, many must have been in need of i minor repairs and so were unable to , get off the ground. This morning a small force of R.A.F. and R.A.A.F. Mosquitoes of the Second Tactical Air Force attacked military l objectives in Northern France. In the early afternoon a small force of "Marauders and medium bombers of the . United States Ninth Air Force attacked : the airfield at Coxyde. on the Belgian coast. In each operation the bombers were escorted and covered hv Typhoons None of the aircraft is missing.

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