HEAVY BOMBING OF MUNICH

Southland Times, Issue 25533, 29 November 1944, Page 5

HEAVY BOMBING OF MUNICH

Attack On Enemy Airfields (8.0.W.) RUGBY, November 27. Early this morning, though it was still dark, R.A.F. Lancasters made a concentrated attack' on Munich, a railway centre and an industrial town of great importance for the production of aircraft and general engineering. The attack lasted about 15 minutes, and large fires were observed over a wide area. Objectives in western Germany were also bombed, and night intruders attacked airfields well behind the enemy lines. One aircraft is missing. About 500 United States Liberators and Fortresses today attacked the railway marshalling yards at Offenburg, 10 miles south-east of Strasbourg, and at Bingen, west of Mainz. The bombers were escorted by more than 250 Mustangs.' Approximately 500 United States Thunderbolts and Mustangs carried out offensive sweeps over north-west Germany. During the Munich raid, Lancasters for the first time dropped 12,0001 b blast bombs, which are of a different type from the 12,0001 b earthquake bombs which sank the Tirpitz. Previously this type of bomb has only been dropped in attacks on single factories in occupied territories. The attack was planned for 5 a.m. so as to miss the moon. The bombers had to make a very deep penetration into south-east Germany and were airborne for over 10 hours. The bombing had to be rapid so that the bombers, without any escort of day fighters, could reach friendly territory before dawn. The weather was brilliantly clear over Munich, and in the light of the first flares the master bomber was able to make certain of the aiming point.