NEW TECHNIQUE IN AIR WAR

Southland Times, Issue 25690, 26 June 1943, Page 5

NEW TECHNIQUE IN AIR WAR

Lancaster Bombers’

Long - Journey

(Rec. 7.30 p.m.) . LONDON, June 24. The round trip of 2600 miles in which Lancaster bombers from England raided Friedrichshafen, flew on to North Africa and returned to England, bombing Spezia en route, dramatically opens a new technique in the air war against the Axis. London observers believe that the double feat may be the opening of a two-way assault on targets in Axis and enemy-occupied countries by planes flying from Britain and North Africa.

The Daily Telegraph, commenting on the Royal Air Force’s shuttle attack on Friedrichshafen and Spezia, says: “One of the tactical aims was to confuse the enemy. By continuing flying south after the attack on Friedrichshafen the bombers avoided the strong fighter and . ground defences in western Europe, which would have been on their toes for- the returning planes. Northern Italy’s defences are notoriously weak. The Italian night fighter strength is negligible. Thus after the bombing the Lancasters had a more or less armchair flight to North Africa with a smaller risk of losses. The Italian defences would not have expected the bombers to come their way after unloading their bombs on Friedrichshafen. The element of surprise must have been equally effective on the return flight. The German defences face Britain. The radio location detection systems are presumably organized to pick up raiders coming in from the west or the north from British bases, but the bombers, flying in a general northerly direction from Spezia, came in behind these defences without having to go out from Britain, thus raising the alarm.” DAMAGE AT CATANIA Today’s Italian communique says Allied planes raided Spezia, Porto Empedocle and Catania. Great damage !was caused at Catania. Numerous buildings were destroyed. The Lancasters left England before sunset last Sunday evening. From the coast of France right through to the Rhine they passed through most violent electrical storms. One pilot said the electricity made the hair on his hands stand on end and when he touched the throttle he got a series of mild, but continuous, shocks. There were circles of light round the propeller tip. Beyond the Rhine the ( weather cleared and as the crews came over Lake Constance they sgw the whole shape of the lake very clearly in the light of an almost full moon. At first only one or two searchlights probed the sky around Friedrichshafen, but when the first flares went down the guns opened up and many more searchlights went on. The report of the squadron leader says: “Though the target was so small and so far inside Germany there is no doubt that the Lancasters had found it and bombed it. The attack was very well concentrated ahd fires were started at once. We could see the fires glowing in the sky as we left until they were hidden behind the Alps.” With, only three engines running this squadron leader decided to try to find his way between the mountain peaks of the Alps, instead of climbing over j them. He came to a dead end—a black wall of rock at the end of a mountain valley. He had to make a right turn and go back the way he had come. At the second attempt he found a way through.

RECEPTION IN NORTH AFRICA The reception of the pilots in North Africa was summed up by a pilot offi- ! cer: "They practically gave us the freedom of the city. It was marvellous to have all the gifts of lemons, I oranges, eggs, tomatoes and plums we [wanted for the return journey and the attack on the big Italian naval base at Spezia. The Lancasters again took off before dusk. There was no moon, but the sky was perfectly clear and they easily found their target. There was not much opposition at Spezia, but over Genoa a considerable barrage was going up.

By -lying to North Africa the Lancaster force had been able to strike

much further into Axis territory than normally would have been

possible at midsummer. With the night so short the journey to Friedrichshafen—more than 500 miles from London—and back to their base would have meant that the bombers would have had to fly through both fighter and gundefended areas in daylight. It is 750 miles oi from Friedrichshafen to the nearest point on the North African coast, even if the bombers had flown in a perfectly straight line, but most of the way would either have been over the sea or over country that certainly would not be so heavily defended as Germany or northern France. Spezia is about 703 miles from London.

ATTACK ON KREFELD Damage In Railway Yards LONDON, June 24. Numerous reports reaching neutral industrialists maintaining business relations with Germany confirm that the air attack against Krefeld was an unprecedented success, says The Times. In addition to enormous damage inflicted on industrial enterprises such as the Krefelder Stahlewerke great destruction was wrought among supplies and i stores awaiting dispatch to the U-boat I bases in France. All the German direct rail traffic from the north and west has been dislocated for some time by the almost continuous bombardment of the Ruhr. As a consequence Krefeld station and marshalling yards were crammed with trains trying to pass the congested areas by circuitous routes. In the storage ; sheds were also considerable' quantities of motorized equipment from the eastern front awaiting dispatch to France. The destruction of Krefeld station means that German rail traffic to the west is also at a standstill. Neutral newspapers emphasized that many U-boat motors awaiting dispatch at the Matbach Motorenwerke at Friedrichshafen were destroyed. Bombs also fell on the Dornier aircraft factory at Manzell near Friedrichshafen.

German official figures state that there were 6000 dead after the raid on Barmen (one of the two towns forming Wuppertal).

N.Z. OFFICER LEADS WING

Flying Fortresses Escorted (Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, June 24. Squadron Leader W. V. C. Compton, of Auckland, who last week returned to operations as a squadron leader supernumary, has led a wing for the first time. He accompanied the Flying Fortresses to Huis. Squadron Leader Compton said: “We saw between 30 and 40 Focke-Wulf 190’s which were preparing to attack the Flying Fortresses from the port side. Our wing turned into them and they dived away. Every time we tried to attack, the Focke-Wulfs were not having any and we were able to bring back the Fortresses unmolested.” Wing Commander Alan Deere led another wing protecting the Flying Fortresses in this same operation.