EARLY START

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 11 August 1942, Page 5

EARLY START

COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS BRITAIN AND UNITED STATES OFFICIAL STATEMENT MADE (Rec. 10 a.m.) London, Aug. 10. Major-General Spaatz, command* ing the United States Air Forces in European theatres, states officially : “Within the immediate future operations in accordance with plans that have been in the making between the R.A.F. and the American Air Forces will commence. The American Air Forces and the R A.F. have worked in such full co-opera* tion that we are proceeding ahead of actual schedule. It is most gratifying to all members of the American Air Forces to realise how helpful our British ally has been. Our enemy at the appointed time will feel the might of the thoroughly co-ordinated British and American Air Forces .” OSNABRUCK BOMBED STRONG R.A.F. FORCE OTHER TARGETS ALSO ATTACKED (Rec. 9.50 a.m.) Rugby, Aug. 10. The railway and industrial centre of Osnabruck and other objectives in north-west Germany were attacked last night by a strong force of R.A.F. bombers. Docks at Le Havre and airfields in the Low Countries were also bombed. Six of our bombers and one fighter are missing. The Berlin news agency says British bombers flew over western Germany last night, and caused several fires in a Westphalian town. ENEMY RAIDERS DESTROYED Three enemy bombers were destroyed over Britain last night. Raiders were reported over the south coast. East Anglia, East Midlands, and northeast coast. Incendiaries and high explosives were dropped in scattered areas but the damage was not considerable. A Heinkel 111 crashed in the residential area of a town and blew up. It set fire to a house, causing some casualties.—B.O.W. and P.A.

IMPORTANT RAILWAY CENTRE

ENORMOUS EXPLOSIONS AND FIRES Osnabruck, which a strong force of bombers attacked last night, is an industrial town with steelworks, railway workshops and copper and aluminium refineries, but its strategic importance is as a railway centre. It is one of the main outlets from the Ruhr and Ruhr-Bremen and Holland-Han-over lines cross the city. There are very large marshalling yards and the main lines and yards were hit. Aircrews saw their bombs burst and fires start in the town. Several crews reported enormous explosions. A great box of more than 30 searchlights surrounded the target and flak came up and passed over the bombers as they flew in to drop their bombs. — 8.0. W.

AIR LOSSES COMPARED

BRITISH AND GERMAN (Rec. 10.35 a.m.) Rugby, Aug. 10. During last week British air losses over Germany and occupied territory were 17 and two German aircraft were shot down The Ruhr was attacked on three consecutive nights, Duisburg being the chief target. Over occupied territory fighters continued to disrupt enemy communications, attacking railways and coastal shipping. Enemy activity over Britain was on a slightly increased scale, mostly in coastal areas. Thirteen of their machines were shot down. J» th*» Middle East British losses were 26 and the enemy’s nine.—B.O.W.