STRUCK BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 January 1944, Page 3

STRUCK BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

Over l y ooo Tons of Bombs Dropped on Baltic Port of Stettin

GREAT FIRES LEFT BLAZING IN CENTRE OF TARGET AREA ENEMY NIGHT FIGHTERS LED ASTRAY LONDON, January 6. R.A.F. Lancasters and Halifaxes which last night attacked Stettin, in the Baltic, dropped over 1,000 tons of bombs on the port. Great fires were left burning 1 and merging one into another. The bombing was well concentrated and the fires all seemed to be in the middle of the target areas. No night fighters were encountered over Stettin. The Luftwaffe was foiled by a Mosquito raid on Berlin, which took place a quarter of an hour earlier. The enemy had dropped flares for 50 miles on the way to Berlin and when the bombers turned to Stettin they had a clear run. The markers laid down by the Pathfinders made the target as clear as daylight Enemyfighters turned up. and began to drop flares near Stettin when the last raiders were leaving. The Mosquito bombers attacked targets jin Western. Germany and Northern France as well as Berlin. Fifteen aircraft are missing from the nig'ht’s operations. R.A.F. escorted bombers and fighter-bombers attacked targets in Northern France this morning. Three enemy fighters were destroyed and two British aircraft are missing.