BOMBER WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25625, 28 August 1944, Page 5

BOMBER WAR

DAY AND NIGHT RAIDS HEAVY ATTACK ON KIEL R.A.F. VISITS KOEMGSBERG (Rec 11 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 26. Royal Air Force Lancasters and Halifaxes were out in great strength over Germany last night. One force made a concentrated attack on the East Prussian capital of Koenigsberg, 900 miles from London, and a second force dropped 1700 tons of bombs on the German naval base of Kiel. Mosquitoes attacked Berlin and Hamburg. Twenty-five bombers are missing. A United States communique says that American heavies yesterday pounded German fuel supplies for the third successive day. Strong forces of Fortresses and Liberators, escorted by strong formations of Thunderbolts, Lightnings, and Mustangs, attacked synthetic oil plants at Gelsenkirchen, an oil refinery at Emmerichean, an oil finishing plant west of Osnabruck, and a synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen. All the bombing was visual, with generally good results. Fighters, in addition to escort duties, dive-bombed and strafed ground targets, including railway yards and highways, in a wide area from Belgium as far as Dijon. Heavies encountered no fighter opposition. Ten bombers and six fighters are missing from this operation. Fortresses and escorted Mustangs attacked gun positions and fortified targets at Brest, and all returned safely. Massive Attacks Between 8 p.m. on Friday and dawn yesterday R.A.F. Bomber Command despatched over 1400 aircraft to attack targets in Germany, long-range weapon sites in Northern France, and coastal defences in Brest. The Opel works at Russelsheim, one of the largest war factories in Germany, was the main objective of a strong force sent to Germany. 1 R.A.F. Mosquitoes during the night attacked eight trains and 280 motor transport vehicles in Northern France. One train which was hit was believed to have been a flying bomb supply train. A convoy, five or six miles long, moving westward, was attacked north of Aachen.

Once again R.A.F. 12,000-pound bombs have smashed through E-boat shelters of concrete several feet thick, which the Germans believed were bomb proof. This was at Ijmuiden two days ago. Reconnaissance reveals that, among other, damage, one bomb penetrated the roof of these shelters for E-boats and R-boats and left a crater 15 feet across.

A massive assault by United States Marauder and Havoc bombers'at midday yesterday left four German fuel dumps in the Compeigne-Laon area a mass of flame and smoke. For nearly two hours waves of bombers pounded the targets, dropping over 500 tons on two dumps. The fuel dumps were strategically located at petrol points where the enemy had vast stores in readiness for tanks and other heavy equipment they had been able to ferry across the Seine and bring down from the north. The bombers encountered no fighter opposition and only moderate flak over the two targets, and all returned safely. Important Targets

United States headquarters state that over 700 Fortresses and Liberators, escorted by a strong force of Lightnings, Thunderbolts, and Mustangs, on Friday attacked a variety of important targets in Northern Germany, including four aircraft plants, three German air force stations, a railway centre, a synthetic oil plant, and the Peenemunde flying bomb and rocket experimental station.

Targets included a bomber assembly plant and a bomber component plant at Wismar, a bomber component plant at Lubeck,' a bomber assembly plant at Rostock, and a synthetic oil plant at Politz. German air force stations at Anklan, Schwerin, and New Brendenburg, and a German air force research centre at Rechlin were also attacked. The crews reported good results.