New Crescendo Of Daylight Bombing

Northern Advocate, 29 April 1944, Page 5

New Crescendo Of Daylight Bombing

LONDON, April 28

The preliminary air bombardment of German positions on the French coast and military targets from the coastal area to more distant rail centres and aerodromes, rose to a new crescendo during the day.

Headquarters of the United States strategic air forces states: “Heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force made attacks on military targets in France in the morning and afternoon. In the morning strong forces of Fortresses and Liberators, escorted by Thunderbolts. Lightnings and Mustangs in strong force, attacked aerodromes at Nancy and Toul. and railway marshalling yards at Blainville and Chalons sur Marne. Eastern France. “Other formations of Lightnings, Thunderbolts and Mustangs carried out strafing and bombing. Results generally .were good. Three enemy aircraft were shot down by fighters Nine bombers and six fighters are missing.”

Light and medium bombers of the second tactical air force and United States Ninth Air Force, accompanied by swarms of fighters, crossed and recrossed the Channel from dawn to dusk to continue softening-up the coast. Every type of British and American medium bomber and fighter took part, flown by airmen from every European Allied country, every Der minion and the United States. Only German Reaction

The only German reaction was a light curtain of flak. A solitary fighter which decided to brave the attackers was promptly shot down as it became airborne.

Among other targets were railway installations at Bethune and Serquoax, flak waggons, bridges and lorries full of troops. Marauders, Havocs, Thunderbolts and Mustangs completed the 10th day of the furious new offensive with a day-long series of attacks on railway yards, airfields and other objectives in Northern France and Belgium. In the 15th operation since April 18 Marauders moved in strong formations at dusk to attack railway yards in the Cambrai area. Cambrai yards form an intersection of lines from Valenciennes. Lille and Paris. Rail traffic from French Channel ports to Belgium passes through Arras.

Ninth Air Force bombers were escorted and covered by R.A.F., Dominion and Allied fighters in both morning and evening operations. Two Marauders are missing from the early operation and a third from the late attack. No enemy aircraft were sighted. Starting in the early morning. Thunderbolts and Mustang fighterbombers sped across the Channel to dive-bomb railway yards in Northern France and Belgium. Among the targets were important transport centres in Creil and Haine St. Pierre. All returned safely and never saw an enemy fighter in the air. Five minesweepers were surprised by a Halifax bomber in the Bay of Biscay at night and two were left on fire. Almost Unopposed Friday was another great day of almost unopposed air attacks on German targets on the Continent by homebased aircraft. Bombers and fighter-bombers of the Eighth Air Force attacked a number of enemy targets in various parts of France in the morning and late afternoon. Fortresses, escorted by Thunderbolts and Mustangs, bombed a German aerodrome at Avord, 130 miles south ofi Paris, early in the day. Some enemy fighters attempted to attack the bombers but fled before the escort could engage them. This was the only encounter with the enemy during the day. Fortresses also bombed military installations in the Cherbourg area during the morning. Lightnings, at about the same time, bombed an aircraft repair plant at Tours, while other Lightnings, accompanied by Thunderbolts, bombed an enemy aerodrome south-west of Paris. Some aircraft were destroyed or damaged on the ground. Late in the afternoon, Liberators, with Thunderbolt escort, bombed military installations in the Pas de Calais region, while other Thunderbolts bombed enemy airfields. Flak was reported to be intense over some targets and light over others. From all these operations four bombers and three fighters are missing.

Over South England

There was slight enemy activity over coastal districts of southern England and

parts of eastern England last night. Xn bombs are reported. The German News Agency reports that German heavy bomber formations, in considerable strength, attacked targets in south-west England last night, including harbour installations on the south-west coast, and also successfully continued attacks against enemy shipping concentrations. Thousands of Bombers Forces raiding Eastern France late in the afternoon, consisted of nearly 750 Fortresses and Liberators,- with about the same number of escorting Lightnings, Thunderbolts and Mustangs, says the Press Association’s aviation correspondent. This means that with the 700 bombers and nearly 500 fighters sent out in the morning, and apnroe.ching 1500 bombers and fighters this afternoon; the Americans alone sent out to-day over France probably up to 2750 heavy bombers and fighters in two big bomber operations. Probably nearly 1500 were heavy bombers, representing a new peak m United States heavy bomber effort. These figures take no account of medium bomber forces sent out to-day by the R-A.F. and United States, or of the fighter formations escorting medium bombers. Marauders and Havocs alone dropped over 750 tons of high explosives during the day. ' , „ . . ~ , The German-controlled Pans radio declared that the Allied air offensive over Northern France and Belgium to-day was the heaviest so far.