BRUNSWICK BOMBED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25499, 31 March 1944, Page 3

BRUNSWICK BOMBED

AMERICAN DAYLIGHT RAID OPERATIONS OVER ITALY (Rec. 8 p.m.) RUGBY, Mar. 29. “ Flying' Fortresses, bombing through cloud by means of instruments, to-day attacked targets in Brunswick,” says a United States communique. “The continuation of the daylight offensive against Germany brought up enemy fighters, but the escort of Lightnings, Thunderbolts, and Mustangs drove them off after a short battle. Thirtynine German planes were shot down in combat over the target by our fighters and a number were destroyed on the ground. The bombers accounted for another nine.

“At the same time, Liberators, escorted by Thunderbolts, bombed the Pas de Calais area without being molested by fighters. From all these operations nine bombers and nine fighters have not returned.” Liberators to-day bombed the railway yards at Milan and Bolzano, says an Algiers correspondent. Fortresses attacked railway targets in Turin. Fighters escorted the bbmbers, and several enemy planes are reported to have been shot down. Escorted Marauders to-day attacked the harbour at Leghorn and shipping at Porto Ferraio, the chief town on the island of Elba. Thunderbolts hit the railway station at Viterbo, and Invaders attacked the ports of San Stefano and Civita Vecchi in the course of the day’s attacks on enemy supply and communications lines.

The principles of strategic bombing were seen in practice on a large scale in Northern Italy yesterday when Fortresses and Liberators singled out two railway yards at Verona and another west of Venice for heavy blows. The Luftwaffe put up some fighter opposition, but it may be the measure of their extremity that some pilots reported encounters with ex-Italian Macchi 202 fighters, which are not in the same class as the latest versions—the Me. 109 and the F.W. 190. The destruction is reported of more than 30 enemy aircraft during the 7000 offensive sorties flown in the past 12 weeks by the fighter and fighterbomber squadrons of one group of- the R.A.F. Second Tactical Air Force. Not one medium bomber has been lost to an enemy fighter.