OVER 4,000 AIRCRAFT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 May 1944, Page 4

OVER 4,000 AIRCRAFT

OUT DURING PERIOD OF 12 HOURS ATTACKING GERMAN-OCCUPIED TERRITORIES DEVASTATION IN DORTMUND (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, May 23. A total of probably more than 4,000 Allied planes has attacked German-occupied territories in the 12 hours since 10 p.m. last night, including about 750 American heavy bombers this morning. A British United Press correspondent at a United States bomber base estimated that Allied planes (during these 12 hours) had dropped about 5,750 tons of bombs on German factories and railway facilities. Supporting them, the greatest fighter fleet ever sent out in any single operation escorted today’s United States bomber force. The first bombers, on their return from targets in Western Germany, reported that they had not seen a single enemy fighter. The targets attacked by Flying Fortresses and Liberators today included the Epinal and Chaumont railway yards, the Andovord, Orleans, Bricy, Bourges and other aerodromes. Although hundreds of bombers were involved, last night’s attack against Dortmund lasted for only ten minutes, says the “Evening Standard’s” correspondent at an R.A.F. bomber station. Several hundred thousand incendiaries rained down on the target area and several 8000 pounders were included in the high explosives dropped. The last pilots returning from the target reported that it was a vast area of fire. Many of Dortmund’s factories had been /rebuilt since the R.A.F’s. last heavy attack and Bomber Command decided that it was time to repeat the attack.