AIR ONSLAUGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25160, 24 March 1945, Page 7

AIR ONSLAUGHT

4400 TACTICAL FLIGHTS OIL REFINERIES BOMBED (Becd. 8.80 p.m.) LONDON, March '23 The First, Second and Ninth Tactical Air Forces flew 4400 sorties yesterday for the loss of two bombers and four fighters, says the British United Press correspondent at Supreme Headquarters. Enemy losses were 26 planes in air combat and 72 on the ground. The Ninth Air Force alone destroyed 1474 railway cars and 86 locomotives, Very little motor traffic was observed. Yesterday's air onslaught across the Rhine followed two raids against Berlin by Mosquitoes, one of which is officially stated to have been carried out by the largest force of these bombers yet sent against Berlin. The Press Association's aviation correspondent says that over 100 Mosquitoes took part. Jubilant airmen, described the raid as the "best yet." The bombs they dropped brought the total taken to Berlin by Mosquitoes to about 2000 tons in 30 successive nights. Mosquitoes during the night also bombed ten marshalling yards north of the Ruhr. Heavy bombers from Italy yesterday flew a round trip of 1400 miles to bomb the ftuhrland oil refineries, says the Rome correspondent of the Associated Press. Allied bombing from Italy has virtually brought to a standstill oil production within range in Southern Germany, Austria and Hungary, Oil plants which were turning out 300.000 tons a month last year are now producing only 500 tons a month. Twenty-four heavy bombers are missing from yesterday's operations, which included nn attack on Vienna railway yards. Escorting fighters met opposition from jetplanes. EMPIRE PRODUCE DEVELOPING MARKETS LONDON, March 22 Sir Cleveland Fyfe, former general secretary of the National Farmers' Union, referring to a second Empire Producers' Conference, which will probably be held in London in October, suggested that the British Government should set up an Empire agricultural council to promote joint action by Ministers and farmers' organisations in developing markets for Empire produce. "The first Empire Producers' Conference, held in Sydney in 1938, realised the fundamental point that instability of price levels is created by alternate gluts and shortages in world food supplies," said Sir Cleveland. "The answer is for Governments and farmers to collaborate not to restrict output, but to secure orderly production and marketing of staple food products like cereals, livestock and dairy produce." MEAT FOR BRITAIN (Herd. 9.30 p.m.) CANBERRA, March 23 Australian shipments of meat to the United Kingdom last year were 179,000 tons, whereas the quota allotted was only 177,000 tons. The quota for 1945 was 177,000 tons. In announcing these figures, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr W. J. Scully, said it was expected that Britain would provide the necessary shipping tonnage. This would have to be increased if Australia agreed to provide still more meat. PATROLLING IN ITALY (Reed. 11.10 p.m.) LONDON, March 23 There have been sharp patrol clashes on both fronts in Italv. In the past week ships of the Allied navies have bombarded enemy gun positions, supply dumps and troop concentrations on the French-Italian frontier in the Gulf of Genoa,,