EXTENSIVE HAVOC

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 60, 12 March 1942, Page 5

EXTENSIVE HAVOC

ESSEN RAIDED AGAIN INTENSE FIRES RAGE Rugby, March 10. I Last night another large force I of British bombers went to the ! Ruhr, that narrow strip of the ' Black Country which is not more than twice the area of Berlin and Which made Germany a great industrial country. Essen was heavily bombed for the second night in succession. The Fighter Command yesterday continued its offensive against targets in occupied territory. Bombers escorted by Spitfires attacked a power plant in northern France in the afternoon, when bombs were seen to burst in the target area. No bomber was lost, although near the coast a mixed formation of about 20 enemy lighters attacked the escorting aircraft. Six enemy planes were destroyed. However much the enemy may disperse his industries elsewhere in Germany or the decupled countries, the ; Ruhr remains vital to German ecojnomic life and, indeed, to the economy jof middle Europe. Bombs which fall on inustrial buildings in the Ruhr I weaken the whole German war j machine. There is no way out of it for the enemy; he cannot move lhe | Ruhr. Always, when bombers have caused havoc in the Ruhr, the Ju- • mans have maue every effort to gel ithe damage repaired in the shoiiest possible time. Towards the tmi ol lust year over a thousand v.uikmen I were engaged in repair work at '■ KrunX and with the shortage m labour in Germany a thousand workmen are not easily spared. There can be no doubt about the extensive havoc the bombers caused last night. All the reports of the crews agree that there were many fires raging, Isonae with great intensity. I According To Promise. The increased activity by both the Bomber Command and the Fighter Command in the past few days is seen as a speedy implemenUiLVni of the Air Minister’s promise to the House ol Commons on March 4 that just as soon as the weather conditions improved the heaviest possible attacks would be made on enemy objectives. The bomber offensive against Germany, Sir Archibald Sinclair said on that occasion, was one of the indispensable means of winning the war. The better weather of the past week has been seized upon. On the night of March 3 the Renault works in a Paris suburb were attacked very successfully by a strong force of bombers. Two other successful raids on important objectives in occupied France—at Poissy, near Paris, and at Commes, near Lille—were attacked by smaller forces during daylight on March 8. On March 9 another objective in occupied France at Mazingarbe was bombed in daylight. Now on two successive nights. Essen nas been at lacked.