ONE OF WORST

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 3, 5 January 1944, Page 5

ONE OF WORST

RAID ON BERLIN TERRIFIC BOMB-LOAD

Tdeßrrnph—Pres® A«BO**tallor Corrright) Reed. 7.30 p.m. London, Jan. 3.

British bombers were over Berlin early this morning for the second night in succession. It was the second attack in 24 hours, and the tenth major attack since the R.A.F. opened the current Battle of Berlin.

The Berlin correspondent of the Stockholm Aftonbladet says that the attack was one of the worst Berlin has suffered. Despite bad weather, the R.A.F. dropped a terrific bombload, causing frosh widespread devastation to official buildings. In addition, residential areas were heavily damaged. The raid was made through a heavy pall of smoke which hung over Berlin after Saturday’s attack.

The correspondent adds that severe restrictions are si ill placed on attempts by Berlin correspondents to describe the raids. Berlin radio said that the bombing was “pure terror, carried out without sight of lhe ground. The British run every risk to carry out their raids on the comparatively few nights when the German air defences are perceptibly handicapped by fog and cloud.”

According to a Madrid report, the Nazis are planning the total evacuation of Berlin because of the continued R.A.F. raids, and the evacuation of civilians on a large scale has already begun. Fiftv trains are scheduled to leave Berlin daily, carrying refugees to eastern and southeastern Germany. The report adds that the civic authorities in hundreds of towns have been instructed to prepare schools and other buildings to receive evacuees. STRAIGHT FOR BERLIN SHOT THEIR WAY OUT Recd. 7.30 p.m. Rugby. Jan. 5. The latest attack on Berlin was made bv a strong force of Liberators, with a smaller number of Halifaxes and Mosquitoes. Some hundreds of tons of high-explosives and incendiary bombs were dropped in a swift saturation attack. This brings the total dropped on the capital since the opening of the battle on the night of November 18 to more than 14,000 tons. Fighters hastened in strength to th ? defence of the capital. For once, the chiefs of the Luftwaffe could not doubt the place to be attacked, for a late start, made to avoid the moon altogether, and a 90-mile-an-hour gale over Germany ruled out a roundabout route. . The bombers went almost straight for Berlin, and had to shoot their way out again. The enemy put up fighters from airfields some considerable distance from Berlin. These joined up into packs, which then swept on towards the capital, gathering reinforcements on the way. Lanes of fighter flares, were laid as far away as Hanover so that the packs should be in no doubt about the route which they should take. Som? had obviously been ordered to intercept the bomber stream along the route and fighting was going on almost, continuously during the last 100 miles of the journey. Meanwhile, other packs, making straight for Berlin, were racing the bombers to the target. When the main force of bombers arrived they found lanes of flares and many fighters awaiting them. As the fighters began weaving their way between the Lancasters our gunners opened up with great effect. Navigators’ Triumph.

Last night was also a great triumph for the navigators. “We were fighting gales practically all the way there and back,” said . one experienced navigator who is now on his second tour of operations. “It would not be so bad if a gale olew at the same strength all the time. Calculations would be easy then. Last night it was at full blast along parts of the route, and there were sudden guests along other parts. On the way out we had it behind us, and we made good time the whole way. Zero hour was for 2.45 a.m., and the pathfinder navigators timed it so perfectly that they arrived over Berlin on the dot. It was the return that gave us a headache. The gale was blowing right against us almost all the way, and we took an hour and a-quarter longer on the journey than on the way but. The wind dropped somewhat after we had crossed the enemy coast, but it was still strong enough to make landing tricky.” There was a thick cloud nearly three miles high over most of the route, but above it the sky was clear and the visibility good. For the first part of the journey the crews did not see many fighters, but as they approached Berlin they saw fighter flares in twos and threes and then combats started.

Despite the efforts of the fighters to drive off the bombers, fires were soon burning in the capital, and smoke which eventually reached 15,000 feet, began rolling up through the clouds. The bombing was so rapid that nearly 70 tons a minute were going down at one stage. Twenty-eight, aircraft are missing from V? night’s operations. One bomber which was reported missing from Sunday night’s raid has now landed safely, making the loss 27 instead of 28, as previously stated.— 8.0.W. SCENES IN BERLIN BEING SYSTEMATICALLY DESTROYED Recd. 9.40 p.m. London, Jan. 3. “For the first time in history a great modern capital is being syst?matically erased as a living entity by bombing,” says the Daily Mail in a leader on the Battle of Berlin. “Berlin will demonstrate to an awed world the real potentialities of the terrible weapon whose uses are only now becoming fully known. It is convenient to call these great assaults raids, but each is a big battle, complete with concentrations of artillery which would have astonished any previous age. Nearly J 5,000 tons have been dropped on Berlin since November 18. which is twice the tonnage cast on London during its long blitz. To shatter Berlin will be a great victory for lhe United Nations It is estimated that between 50 000 and 60,00 H tons will be required to knock out Berlin as Hamburg was knocked out." Three-quarters of Hitlei’s huge grey Chancellery, erected to symbolise Nazi power, was demolished in this, morning's raid, say travellers from-' Berlin, according to the Associated Press Stockholm correspondent.] Travellers said it must have been ■ blockbusters which smashed into the Chancellery. It is a squat, barracklike building. One hundred persons are reported to be trapped in tremendous shelters built at least three [storeys beneath the Chancellery, with all modern conveniences. There is no indication whether Hitler was I present at. the Chancellery. I Other travellers said the Potsdammer Platz seemed completely smashed. The raiit was the worst yet experienced. Two fires were burning at the Chancellery at 8 a.m.. nearly four hours after the raid commeneed. On*' said he was able to pet within GO feet