ESSEN HAMMERED

Southland Times, Issue 24760, 3 June 1942, Page 5

ESSEN HAMMERED

BIG FIRES STARTED ONLY 35 PLANES LOST (United Press Association —Telegraph Copyright) (Rec. 12.45 a.m.) LONDON, June 2. For the second time within 48 hours the Royal Air Force has launched a 1000-bomber raid on Germany, the target on this occasion being the great industrial area of the Ruhr. Exactly 1036 bombers were sent out last night and nearly all of them concentrated on Essen, home of the famous Krupp armament works. Only 35 planes, less than 3.5 per cent, of the raiding force, failed to return. The announcement of the raid was made in the House of Commons today by the Prime Minister, Mr Winston Churchill, who said that although full details of the raid were not yet available, it was known that great and widespread fires were started. Mr Churchill said it must not be supposed that all raids on Germany would be on a four-figure scale, but Germany’s cities, harbours and industrial centres would be subjected to an ordeal not surpassed in continuity, severity and'magnitude. The raids would increase in scale when the Royal Air Force was joined by the American Air Forces. This would happen in the near future. It is stated by the Air Ministry that every bomber which took part in the raid was built in Britain. A statement that 20,000 persons were killed, and 54,000 injured in Saturday’s gigantic raid on Cologne was made by The New York Times, on the basis of reliable neutral reports. The newspaper stated that three-fifths of Cologne’s population was being evacuated under official orders and that the entire populations of other industrial cities in the Rhineland had started a mass evacuation. Five-sevenths of Cologne’s factories were destroyed in the raid. Mr Churchill revealed that 1130 British planes took part in the Cologne raid. He said that the great pall of smoke hanging over the city had so far prevented the taking of photographs.