RAID ON BERLIN

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIV, Issue 22671, 26 August 1943, Page 5

RAID ON BERLIN

HEAVIEST ATTACK OF WAR City Burnt Like Torch By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.— Copyright LONDON, August 24. Fires were still burning in Berlin this morning following the attack by the Royal Air Force last night, when 1700 tons of bombs were dropped in 50 minutes. This is twice as heavy as any previous attack on Berlin. The bombing was highly concentrated and pilots report that the raid was an outstanding success. A number of enemy fighters wero destroyed both on the route and over the target. ~ The Fighter Command assisted the operation with widespread harassing attacks on airfields in Germany and occupied territory. The enemy’s fighter opposition was extremely fierce over Berlin and along ui« pomoers return route, bombers and one fighter are missing. The great weight of bombs was dropped on Berlin in cieai . just before midnight. Huge fires broke out and columns of smoke rose to a height of three miles. One pilot said he was surprised at first by the lightness of the anti-air-craft fire over Berlin, but on comin? over the target ne discovered wny. soon as the raiders were right over the city the Germans sent up swarms of night fighters, more than he had ever seen before. Searchlight worked with the fighters. The bombers fought back and soon combats were going on everywhere. , On March 27, in the last big attack, 900 tons of bombs were dropped, so it is likely that at least 1800 tons of bombs blasted Berlin last night.

Four-Engined Bombers Berlin has been treated the same as Hamburg, says the British United Press correspondent at a British bomber base. For 42 minutes last night four-epgined Royal Air Force bombers rained down 1800 tons of bombs on the German capital. There was a mass of flames within four square miles. It was probably the biggest four-engined raid of the war. When our planes turned away from the target the crews could see Berlin burning like a torch, and at 258 miles from the target there was still a red glow in the sky. Five thousand R.A.F. members took part in the raid. The correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency says that the loss of 58 bombers was the largest the Royal Air Force has suffered in a night raid, but such, unfortunately, must be expected with the growing intensity of bombing raids. „ . x . , The Berlin radio stated that British and American planes took part in the raid, but it is officially denied in London that any American planes took part. , , The Berlin radio said that a considerable number of the attackers were met by night fighters before reaching the outskirts of the city and were thus prevented from developing the attack according to plan. The radio says that the raiders . dropped highexplosives and incendiaries at random on various residential districts.

Swarms of Fighters “I have never seen so many fighters before,” said one pilot who has taken part in most of the big raids on the Ruhr and Hamburg, on his return from Berlin last night. “There were about 20 belts of searchlights inside the capital and around it. These were co-operating with the fighters. We streaked across the beams as fast as we could and the searchlights came after us. chasing us across the sky. We got through them all right, and just as we were going to bomb a fighter came for us and I had to take evasive aotion. Fights were going on all over the place." The rear-gunner of a Halifax whose aircraft was one of the first to attack said that the guns did not open up until the bombing was actually begun. “We could not see any flak at all until we had finished our bombing run, and even When the ground gunners did start the fire Was not particularly heavy. But there were numerous fighters, some flying with navigation lights on.” The pilot of a Stirling spoke of a huge explosion as he was making his way out of the target area. “It seemed right in the centre of the city,” he said, “and must have been something really big." Other pilots reported much cloud along the route, but it cleared before Berlin was reached and visibility over the target was excellent. Smoke from the fires were reported to be as high as 1500 feet. A huge solid block of white cloud tinged with grey, four miles high, completely obliterated almost all Berlin from the air, according to a Royal Air Force reconnaissance pilot who was over the city at 8.30 a.m. to-day. He said that smoke from the raid could; be seen 200 miles away.

Solid Cloud of Smoke “We approached Berlin from the east, flying at 20,000 feet. A westerly wind was blowing toward me. Huge cumulus smoke was coming mainly from the centre of the city. Only one or two districts, such as Wilmersdorf and Charlottenburg, were visible. It was evident from the smoke that there were fires everywhere in and around the centre of the city. The heat of the fires was sending smoke up to form a solid cloud. There was a greyish tinge to the white cloud, showing that the fires were still burning. It was the best ’prang’ I have ever seen. The smoke was better than anti-aircraft fire and much better than at Dusseldorf on June 13. Great craters could be sepn in the western part of the city, which was partly visible. The northern sector was clear of smoke. We were scarcely fired at."

The 75th (New Zealand) Squadron took part in the raid on Berlin last night, operating a large force. Flight Sergeant O. H. White captained a damaged Stirling, three members of the crew bailing out over enemy territory Tire rear-gunner was killed, but Sergeant White landed safelv without wireless.

Wing Commander R. D. Max, D.F.C., (Nelson), is now commanding the Squadron.

Group Captain Hughie Edwards, V.C.. D. 5.0.. who commands a station where there is an Australian Squadron, was out last night with the squadron. He said that in his experience—and he has taken part in most of the big raids of the war —the attack on Berlin was an outstanding success. The Air Ministry says that the crews themsejves are very confident about the results of their massive bombardment of the German capital. They sooke of huge fires which they could see a 100 miles from Berlin on the way home, of several very big explosions and a pall of smoke three miles high. Tire Germans had longprepared plans to meet the attack. They knew It would come as soon as tire nights were long enough to enable our aircraft to get to Berlin and attack in darkness. Extraordinary secrecy is being maintained in Berlin about the Royal AirForce raid on Monday night, says the Stockholm correspondent of the British United Press. Swedish correspondents in Berlin are not allowed to mention the raid apart from informing newspapers whether they are sl.il lame to work. Reuter’s Zurich correspondent, says that the Germans have imposed an iron censorship on any but the barest official accounts of the R.A.F. raid. Berliners crowded air-raid shelters from early yesterday afternoon in expectation of another raid last 'night. Mosquitos were over Berlin again last night, and they found fires started on Monday night still burning. No enemy fighters were encountered, but the ack-ack gunners were busy.