AIR BATTERING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24793, 17 January 1944, Page 3

AIR BATTERING

CITIES BRUNSWICK'S TURN 2000 TONS: 23 MINUTES (Reed. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 15 Brunswick w r as the target for a very heavy raid by the Royal Ail' Force last night, when 2000 tons of bombs were dropped in 23 minutes on this important centre of the German aircraft and engineering industry. An Air Ministry communique says large fires were left burning. Mosquitoes attacked Berlin and other aircraft bombed targets in Northern France and laid mines in enemy waters. Thirty-eight aircraft are missing. * The raid on Brunswick, which is 110 miles west of Berlin, was made by Lancaster and was the first major attack on this city-. Brunswick has several aircraft factories and others which make tanks, motor-cycles and railway signals. The target was largely covered by cloud and sky-markers were used to ring the area to be attacked. The bombing began exceptionally early—at about 7.10 p.m. —and as it lasted only for 23 minutes the bombers were well on their way home before the moon rose. The average rate of bombing was nearly 90 tons a minute, but there were moments at the height of the attack when 150 tons were being dropped. After a quarter of an hour the glow of large fires was seen below the cloud, and later the fires themselves were seen in spite of dense cloud. One pilot said he saw a column of smoke 18,000 feet high.

Mosquitoes? made feint attacks on Berlin and Magdeburg, about 50 miles south-east of Brunswick. Enemy night fighters did not arrive over Brunswick until the attack was over, but there was severe opposition along the route where visibility above the cloud was good. Great numbers of fighter flares were dropped to guide the main fighter packs to the bomber stream, both on the outward and the return journey. There were many reports of twinengined fighters using rockets, which was an extension of the tactics first used, against American day bombers. A rear-gunner said: "There were many rocket shells. I watched them shoot along over 1300 yards, then there was a minor explosion.and they carried on to finish up in a bigger explosion." Messages reaching Stockholm say that Brunswick is without gas or electricity.