AT LONG RANGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 April 1944, Page 3

AT LONG RANGE

TARGETS IN POLAND & EAST ’ PRUSSIA ATTACKED BY AMERICAN BOMBERS. DAMAGE DONE TO AIRCRAFT FACTORIES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, April 9. Strong forces of American bombers, escorted by fighters, today bombed widely-separated Focke-Wulf factories at Tutow and Warnemunde, near Rostock, on the Baltic, and also Marienburg, in east Prussia, 27 miles from Danzig and Posen, a Polish industrial town.

Tutow is 45 miles east of Rostock. Tutow, Warnemunde, and Marienburg had all been previously attacked. Marienburg has one. of Germany’s biggest fighter plants, where 50 per cent of the Focke-Wulf 110 s are assembled. Warnemunde has a large Heinkel factory. The British United Press aviation correspondent says that 700 American bombers, escorted by nearly 1000 fighters, carried out today’s raids. Late reports say that rocket-firing Messerschmitts took advantage of the fact of the bombers reaching Posen, where they were not escorted, and pressed home fierce attacks. The Posen force, which was the largest engaged in today’s operations flew a round-about course of over 1700 miles, involving 10J- hours of flying. Two groups which fell behind the others on the homeward journey across Jutland were heavily hit by German formations which are estimated to have comprised 100 fighters. The fighter escort did not accompany the bombers over the whole route to Posen. The raid against Posen was not the longest flown by American bombers. They have twice previously flown farther —to Trondheim and to Danzig.

Forty German fighters challenged the American air fleet which bombed Tutow, but Mustangs and Lightnings chased them away, after which the Liberators plastered the Focke-Wulf components factory, says the British United Press.

The Fortresses over Warnemunde concentrated on an aircraft factory which is making Focke-Wulf fuselages and wings. They met with no aerial opposition, but considerable flak and some rocket fire.

The Stockholm correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain reports that 11 heavy bombers made forced landings in Sweden, and that the crews of 10 of them, numbering 100, were unhurt. The Berlin radio said that fairly strong formations of escorted bombers which crossed the North Sea and the Baltic Sea were fiercely engaged over Kiel Bight today. Combats also ensued over Mecklenburg and Pomerania, where bombs were dropped. BALANCE OF LOSSES NUMERICALLY MUCH AGAINST ENEMY. 148 GERMAN PLANES SHOT DOWN. RUGBY, April 9. Sixty enemy aircraft are claimed to have been shot down in aerial combat yesterday by the Liberators of the Eighth Air Force attacking aircraft factories in Brunswick. The Fortresses attacking enemy aerodromes in Germany encountered no enemy aircraft. The Thunderbolts, Lightnings and Mustangs escorting the bombers and the Thunderbolts and Lightnings on a sweep in the Frankfurt area claimed a total of 88 enemy fighters destroyed in the air, instead of 92 as previously announced. A total of 148 enemy aircraft is claimed as destroyed in aerial combat in all yesterday’s operations, states the headquarters of the United States Strategical Air Force in Europe. In addition, considerable numbers of aircraft are claimed as damaged on the ground by fighters and bombers. Thirty-four bombers and 24 fighters (instead of 25 as previously announced) are missing from these operations. Photographs taken during and following the attack yesterday show considerable damage to the Wilhemitoi’ and Neupetritor Messerschmitt 110 fighter component factories at Brunswick and to nearby works and the main railway marshalling yards, says a United States communique. All the most important buildings were hit except the Wilkewerks plant, which makes boilers, structural steel and equipment for the chemical industry. AT FULL PRESSURE DAY & NIGHT OPERATIONS. EXTENDED OVER WIDE AREA. LONDON, April 10. Keeping up the daylight offensive against German targets today, more than 500 American heavy bombers, with an escort of as many fighters, were out today over France and Belgium. Attacks were made on aircraft re.pair works and airfields. Only slight enemy opposition was encountered. The weather was perfect. The fighter escort shot down seven enemy planes in combat and destroyed others on the ground. The American losses were three heavy bombers and four fighters. Other American aircraft attacked military targets in the Pas de Calais area.

Marauder medium bombers of the American Ninth Air Force had their biggest day’s operations. Three hundred Marauders struck at targets on the north coast of France, military objectives in Northern France, a coastal airfield in Belgium and two railway yards in Belgium. Earlier in the day, a railway centre deep in Belgium was attacked. It is now known that in the American air attack on Eastern Germany and Poland, 63 enemy fighters were destroyed in the air and 29 were destroyed or damaged on the ground. Last night R.A.F. heavy bombers attacked two French railway centres, one in the suburbs of Paris and the other at Lille. Other aircraft laid mines in enemy waters. Several squadrons of Mosquitoes were over Germany last night. They dropped 15 40001 b. bombs and many other bombs on Munster in ten minutes.