Vast Allied Air Armadas in Action

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 123, 27 May 1944, Page 5

Vast Allied Air Armadas in Action

Thousands of Planes Assault West Wall (By Telegraph—Press Assn.-Copyright.) LONDON, May 25. Never before during the war have the people of the English coastal towns seen or heard such vast Allied air fleets as crossed the Channel on Thursday. There was a ceaseless drone of planes in formations, numbering up to 250, for nine hours after 7.30 a.m. American Fortresses and Liberators switched from Germany to’ occupied territory and smashed railway yards, airfields and other targets in Northern France and Belgium. The attack on Toulon and Lyons by bombers based in Italy represented the deepest pentration into France the Mediterranean Air Force has so far attempted. The Vichy radio stated that the number of casualties in the Lyons raid appears to be high. The Luftwaffe made no concentrated attempt to intercept the heavy bombers over Northern France and Belgium. The bombers, despite the flak, which was fiercer than ever, hit objectives along a 100-mile front behind the West Wall defences.

Marauders and Havocs of the Ninth Air Force at noon on Thursday attache 1 three railway bridges near Liege (Belgium) and airfields at Denain and Monchybreton (both in France). They were escorted by Thunderbolts and R.A.F., Dominion and Allied Spitfires. Bostons and Mitchells of the Allied Expeditionary Force, with Spitfire escort, attacked airfields at Chevies (Belgium). Spitfires and Typhoon fighter-bombers attacked railway centres at Giskrs and Duchy (France) and St. Ghislain (Belgium). United States Headquarters state. Very strong forces of Liberators at tacked a number of railroad marshalling yards, aerodromes and other military targets in Northeast France and Belgium on Thursday morning. They were escorted by strong forces of Mustangs. Thunderbolts and Lightnings of the Eighth and Ninth .Air Forces R.A.F. and Allied Mustangs of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force also provided an escort and flew supporting sweeps. In this further great operation it is estimated that between 1500 and 2000 aircraft took part. * Another report states that in these operations nine marshalling yards in France and Belgium, from Brussels and I-iege almost to the Swiss border, were attacked. Nine German planes were destroyed. The Allies lost four bombers and 12 fighters. Four British carrier-based fighters over Aalborg shot down eleven of 20 nlanes belonging to German air training camps in Denmark, says the British United Press’s Stockholm correspondent. The trainers each had four occupants engaged in flying exercises when the British planes reconnoitring between Jutland and the Norwegian coast swooped on them. A Danish eyewitness said: “It was a fantastic sight. The British fighters buzzed around the German planes like angry wasps.”