GREAT DAYLIGHT RAID

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 13 January 1944, Page 5

GREAT DAYLIGHT RAID

U S FORCES OVER REICH > All out Luftwaffe Defence

SIXTY BOMBERS REPORTED MISSING (Rec. 10 a.m.) London, Jan. 12. Strong forces of Fortresses and Liberators to-day fought their way through a host of enemy fighters in a three-hour running battle to attack targets in north-western Germany, says a U.S.A.A.F. communique. Although escorted most of the way by i- strong formations, of Lightning and Thunderbolt fighters operating shuttle relays and protected during withdrawal by R.A.F. >y and Allied fighters, the great armada of bombers was subject to ;d continuous attack by enemy aircraft during the entire time over Germany. The enemy used virtually every type of aircraft which in could give battle to the bombers and their assault was vicious L and determined. j* It is believed that at least 700 American planes took part ;d and it is reported that 60 are missing. c- A special communique from Hitler’s headquarters claims £ that 123 American planes, mostly four-engined bombers, were is shot down for the loss of nine German fighters.

ie e. “ATTACKED IN BUNCHES” ( rt *" One pilot said: “The enemy fighters | started to attack us at Zuider Zee, des-, pite the escort and came at us in ; j._ buncVes.” Despite the ferocity of the enemy’s 1 to resistance, many of the American pil- j ots were enthusiastic about the result j ’s of the bombing. One said it was like a 3- card board box being smashed to pieces. )r d GREATEST AIR BATTLE OF WAR lin A German military spokesman ie described the engagement as the Dt greatest air battle of the war. io An “Evening Standard” corresn* pondent with the United States a forces, says preliminary reports from U.S.A.A.F. fighter stations ine dicate That when the total number | e of enemy casualties is assembled d it will reach a new high record !t for daylight air battles over Eurig ope. Several groups Report that io German losses were four to one -t American. However, it is probable ie that American losses will be high fi because the Germans put up the ie strongest opposition for several weeks. The correspondent addds that he i understands the heavy bombers were not escorted for part of the trip, but 5t swarms of Lightnings and Thunderbolts, also a new version of the Mustang, accompanied the bomber groups }. most of the way and R.A.F. and Alii- lied fighters covered them during the a. withdrawal. One Thunderbolt formation o reported that without loss itself it shot 3 down 12 German planes, e. ENEMY TEMPTED INTO AIR Whatever the American losses were, 1- they achieved one important object—ld they tempted German fighter strength ie into the air, forcing them to fight for 1 - nearly four hours. The Germans had -o every type of plane protecting the targets. Swarms of fighters, including ’s in

] long-range Me. 109’s, challenged 1h« j bombers which also had to contend j with planes trailing bombs on long ! cables, planes firing rocket shells and 1 rocket anti-airc#aft shells. Some bombler groups met hundreds of enemy j fighters which attacked in formations of j 30 at a time, smashing their way to- ! ward the heart of the Fortress formations. The German news agency states that the massed Allied fighter umbrella which accompanied the American bombers nailed down a considerable proportion of German fighter strength. “Wa used new defence tactics. The alarm wai given to a chain of defence stations after the first Americans crossed German observation posts. Defences thus passed from hand to hand and succeeded in breaking up enemy attacks, thereby preventing a heavy concentratior against targets.” CITY WITHOUT WOMEN EVACUATION OF BERLIN London, Jan. 12. Berlin is rapidly becoming a city without women, according to travellers arriving in Lisbon from Berlin.. Some of the few women who are left have been . conscripted to run restaurants for the men who have to remain but whose wives and children have been evacuated. The same system has been set up in Hamburg. . Travellers also report that many Berliners have to go to bed at sunset because of lack of electricity, candles and fuel, all of which are being used by the army. AIR RAID CASUALTIES (Rec. 10.0 a.m.) Rugby, Jan. 12. Air raid casualties in Britain in December totalled 51, of which 10 were killed or missing believed killed.