Terrific Hour-to-Hour Blasting

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 125, 30 May 1944, Page 5

Terrific Hour-to-Hour Blasting

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 28. After the BAP.’s blow against Germany, France and Belgium on Saturday night, in which 4000 tons of bombs were dropped, the Allied air armada on Sunday, including rocket-firing Typhoons, kept up a terrific hour-to-hour blasting of the enemy’s strongpoints, swinging out far into Germany. “Achtung,” air alerts roused practically every area in the Reich with reports that the Allied raiders were as far east as Silesia. Clouds of Allied planes late this afternoon were still streaming out across the Straits of Dover. The American air forces which struck Germany on Sunday put 2000 heavy bombers into the air. The bombers shot down 32 enemy aircraft and the fighters 61, a total of 93. The American losses were 34 bombers and 13 fighters. The British United Press’s aviation correspondent estimates that between 3000 and 4000 Allied planes went into action over the Continent on Sunday. The German News Agency stated that a great air battle was fought over Central Germany at noon between the American bombers escorted by fighters and German fighters. There were also violent air duels en route to the target and on the return flight. The News Agency at 4.30 p.m. said that the German fighters were still engaging the enemy. Railway traffic in Belgium and Northern France has been bombed virtually to a standstill, according to reports in the past 24 hours by pilots of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force, says the Daily Express’s aviation writer. Goods yards are choked with long lines of trucks without engines to pull them. Fighters and fighter-bombers have been gunning and strafing stranded trucks all day. Whole trains, some with 80 trucks, have been left ablaze from end to end. It is estimated that about 5000 bombers and fighters, carrying 20,000 airmen, attacked Europe on Sunday, and with the R.A.F.’s 4000 tons, a total of 8000 tons of bombs has been dropped in 24 hours.