DAYLIGHT RAID

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25566, 20 June 1944, Page 5

DAYLIGHT RAID

OVER 1300 HEAVY BOMBERS NO TRACE OF LUFTWAFFE LONDON, June 18. Over 1300 Fortresses and Liberators, which to-day attacked numerous oil refineries and three aerodromes in North-west Germany and Hamburg, did not meet the slightest trace of opposition from the Luftwaffe, states a U.S.A.A.F. communique. Every target the heavy bombers assaulted, however, was covered with an intense curtain of shrapnel from rocket-firing and ordinary anti-aircraft guns. Eleven bombers are missing from these operations. All the fighters returned.

It was the 111th raid against Hamburg, and the Americans’ third daylight raid on the city. A small force of Liberators this afternoon, without loss, attacked military objectives in the Pas c.e Calais area. No enemy opposition was met on this occasion either. A starlit sky helped night fighter crews of the Air Defence of Great Britain to set up a new record of destruction over the Normandy invasion beaches last night. They destroyed 10 enemy aircraft, 7 being Junkers 88.’s. This brings A.D.G.B. s total during night patrols of the beaches to 53 since D-Day. Intruders operating over the airfields behind the enemy’s lines destroyed 25 more. One Mosquito squadron, which as a Defiant unit helped to cover the evacuation of Dunkirk four years ago, shot down five last night. Marauders of the Ninth Air Force this morning moved 80 miles southwest of the battle line on the Cherbourg Peninsula to carry out a powerful attack against the railway yards at Rennes. At the same time Mustangs in several formations bombed and strafed railway, road, and fiver traffic in South-west Paris, and other Marauders and Havocs bombed enemy ammunition dumps camouflaged in the Forest of Andaine, and other military targets close behind the enemy lines. From all these operations none of our bombers or fighter-bombers are missing. Catching three long freight trains parked at Rennes, the Marauders wrought tremendous damage to the vards and left columns of smoke and flame' towering 2000 feet. Members of the crew saw bombs explode into three large buildings adjacent to the railway lines and tear up tracks and derail cars. Earlier in the morning Ninth Air Force Mustangs damaged more than 70- trucks, destroyed 2 freight trains and 5 locomotives, and blasted lumber yards, roads, and bridges in a bombing and strafing sweep near MontreuilBellay and Sagaur, south-west of Pans. One flight of Mustangs blew up a German weapon carrier, with about 10 soldiers in it. The Mustangs encountered no opposition, except scattered light flak and small arms fire. Two Czech pilots of the Second Tactical Air Force have shot down two Focke-Wulf 190’s which were about to attack ground forces near Caf. Th° two pilots belong to the first Czech squadron to fly from'British soil This squadron has now more than 50 enemy planes to its credit, as well as a long record of damage to enemy shipping and railway transport in occupied France. Allied air supremacy in the battle zone in France and well beyond since June 6 is still unchallenged, according to Allied headquarters. Our air losses are maintaining an average of 1 per cent., and the German losses are probably near 10 per cent. The number of our sorties on positions held by the Germans on the Cherbourg Peninsula is becoming increasingly serious. Our fighter-bombers yesterday swept along the whole east and north of the . peninsula. Allied landing strips are now operating all along the invaded coast, enabling our fighter-bombers and strafing patrols to make many extra sorties. Mosquitoes flew more than 200 sorties in last night’s attacks on railway and road transport and bridges.