HEAVY DAMAGE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 12 January 1944, Page 5

HEAVY DAMAGE

CHAOS IN BERLIN SIX MAJOR AIR ATTACKS PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDS Rugby, Jan. 10. In six major attacks on Berlin to December 16, states the Air Ministry, 17 per cent, of the buildings in Berlin’s fully or mainly built-up areas have been destroyed. The approximate acreage of the actual buildings in these is 8000. This figure excludes streets, and it is calculated on the basis that Berlin had 8000 acres, of solid buildings before the R.A.F. made its big attacks. These figures have been arrived at after an analysis of reconnaissance photos, but Berlin has been hiding not only under a pall of smoke but also under such thick cloud that reconnaissance unit planes have not been able to bring back the full story in photographs. Actually the photographs from which this interpretation was made were taken on 21st December, and since then another 5000 tons of bombs have been dropped on the city, excluding Mosquito attacks. The following estimates, which exclude these last 5000 tons of bombs, are most conservative calculations, for the photographs which have been obtained show only major damage, and a considerable amount of blast and fire destruction must have been conceated from the camera. GOVERNMENT OFFICES AREA In the central Tiergarten district, packed with Government offices, over 60 per cent, of the buildings were destroyed in six attacks. In the Mitt district, the Whitehall of Berlin, there are G2B acres of damage—very nearly as large an area as the whole City of London. The first buildings to be repaired in Berlin before all the war factories which had been hit were Hitler’s personal chancellery—not the main Reich Chancellery—and Dr. Goebbels’ private residence in Hermann Goering Strasse. Both buildings have been severely damaged. Prussia House, containing Goering’s offices, was also being repaired at that time. Among other damaged public and Government buildings are the War Office (the part used as the secret service headquarters for all the three services has been gutted), buildings which are probably the main income tax offices, the old Air Ministry building, the headquarters of the Gestapo, and the official residence of Himmler, the Foreign Office, including Ribbentrop’s official residence, the Treasury, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Transport, the adjoining State Railway Directorate, the old President’s chancellery and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Along . the Unter der Linden many buildings have been destroyed or damaged, including the Ministry of Armaments and Munitions, the Home Office, the Army records office and the Ministry of Education. The Kroll Opera House, where the Reichstag has met since 1935. has been damaged and the adjoining block of buildings, probably part of the Home Office, burned out. Barracks, military stores, military transport depots and hangars have been destroyed or damaged in many parts of the city. In various camps 236 huts were destroyed. Shortwave broadcasting studios were hit. Industrial damage was extremely severe. Ninety-eight identified industrial plants were hit and a great number of small unidentified works. The most important damaged works were in the Tegel area. The great Rhein Metall Borsig armaments factory had many of its buildings severely damaged. GREAT ENGINEERING WORKS In four large engineering works making small arms and other weapons 25 buildings were destroyed or damaged. The huge Siemens electrical engineering works in the West Spandau district, which was damaged during the summer, shows new damage in six of its departments. The Siemens cable works were also damaged to a smaller extent. The Osram radio valve works also shows further extensive damage The important chemical works of the Schering company in the Wedding district had a number of buildings destroyed by fire. A number of factories making aircraft components were hit, including the Dornier and Heinkel works. Important electrical works, including the Bergmann works making turbines, dynamos and cables. were severely damaged. These and others- which showsubstantial damage are all key factories of great importance in the German war effort. The products of many other factories W’hich were hit include vehicles, engines. engine components, armaments, machine tools, electrical equipment precision tools, chemical dyes, plastics, fabrics, and foodstuffs. Railways in the capital’s centre were badly hit. The Lehrter and Potsdammer passenger stations were gutted. Almost all the buildings and warehouses at the Lehrter goods station were gutted. The Spreeufer goods station was completely destroyed. The railway sheds and warehouses at the Anhalter and Potsdammer sidings were gutted. The Stettiner and Wriezner stations suffered severe damage. Four gasworks, including the largest in Berlin, also two gas storage depots, seven waterworks, five tramway depots and the main postal depots in the centre of Berlin were hit and damaged.