IN GREAT STRENGTH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25737, 8 January 1945, Page 3

IN GREAT STRENGTH

BOMBERS OVER GERMANY

HEAVY ATTACK ON HANAU (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 7. For the eleventh night in succession bomber forces were out over Germany in great strength on Saturday night, when Hanau, near Frankfurt, was the principal target. In less than a week Bomber Command has dropped 14,000 tons of bombs on Germany. Over 1150 aircraft of Bomber Command took part in operations against the Germans on Friday, in the course of which 10 enemy aircraft were destroyed. Twenty-three aircraft of Bomber Command and three from Fighter Command are missing. The full account of these operations states that Lancaster bombers attacked German troops and armour near the road junction of Houffalize, Belgium. On Friday night two heavy attacks were made by Halifaxes and Lancasters on Hanover. Large areas of fire were observed, and after th£ second attack there was a huge pall of smoke over the city. Two attacks were also made on Berlin, and objectives in Western Germany were bombed. Night fighters and intruder aircraft supported the bombers and attacked airfields. Mosquitoes carried out offensive patrols over North-west Germany. On Friday afternoon Lancasters, escorted by Spitfires and Mustangs, attacked the marshalling yards at Ludwigshafen.