Ammunition Works Severely Damaged In Daylight Raid

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1943, Page 3

Ammunition Works Severely Damaged In Daylight Raid

Rec. 9.45 p.m. London, March 20 The subsidiary factory of the Renault works, Le Mans, is now known to have been severely damaged during a daylighl attack by Mosquitos on March 9, says the Air Ministry news service. This factory had been very greatly enlarged since the Royal Air Force's devastating raid on the main Renault works at Billancourt, on the outskirts of Paris. Machinery salvaged from the Paris factory is believed to have been sent to Le Mans and for some time the works have been turning out tanks, lorries, armoured fighting vehicles and aero engines. Reconnaissance photographs taken two days after the attack show a large part of the 19-bay building has been severely hit. A 10-bay building near it was also damaged. An area of over 100,000 square feet has been damaged. Two more buildings were badly hit, one being a six-bay building in ' the south-west corner of the works. Second Attack in Month. The raid on March 9 was the second made on Le Mans this month. The first was on March 4, wheh Mosquitos severely damaged the marshalling yards. _ A repair shop and steam and locomotive 6heds were hit. Probing the farthest yet into Germany in their unrelenting offensive against Uboat warfare, American heavy bombers in daylight successfully attacked the U-boat shipbuilding yards at Vegesack Direct hits on one of the largest enemy U-boat building repair yards, lying some 15 miles north-west of Bremen, were reported by the crews of Fortresses and Liberators. Fighting their way through heavy flak and fighter opposition, the high-flying bombers penetrated to the inner defences of the shipbuilding centre. Enemy fighter aircraft, estimated to number 50 to 75 in the air at one time, delivered the first attacks as the bombers went in over the Freisian Islands and continued until they were well out over the sea on the return. Some groups reported contlnuing encounters for an hour and 45 minutes. The submarine installations observed by the crew included power plant and partially completed U-boats in shelteis. One crew reported a dircct hit on a sub1 marine. Two bombers failed to return. Congratulations on the success of the Americans' very fine operation on Thuisday were conveyed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal to-day to MajorGeneral Ira C. Eaker.