GERMANY BOMBED

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 22152, 25 September 1943, Page 5

GERMANY BOMBED

MANNHEIM & LUDWIGSHAFEN

LONDON, Sept. 24 Royal Air Force bombers were over Germany again last night. People on the south coast heard strong forces of bombers going out across the Straits 1 of Dover and later explosions were heard from the other side of the Channel. Searchlights and gunfire flashes could also be seen. The Germans say the targets included the twin cities on the Rhine of Mannheim and Ludwigshaien. These cities were last attacked on the night of September 5, when the R.A.F. rained down 1500 tons of bombs on chemical and other war factories in both cities. Darmstadt and Aachen were also bombed. Two Lanes of Flares The good visibility over Mannheim and Ludwigshafen for the heavy raid last night meant that night fighters were given the responsibility of defending the target, states the Air Ministry News Service. There was no moon, so the Germans used a great number of searchlights to silhouette the bombers and fighters dropped flares which they tried to get in line along both the ingoing and outgoing tracks of bombers. The result v/as two lanes of flares, almost at right-angles to each other. There were many combats and a good number of enemy planes were destroyed or damaged. Pilots say it was easy to identify the dock area and other parts of Mannheim or Ludwigshafen and fires were soon burning. They were in the shape of a star, with the main blaze in the centre and other fires radiating from it, one crew stated. Heavy damage was done when Mannheim and Ludwigshafen were last attacked on September 5. The main railway station was severely damaged and transhipment sheds and warehouses were gutted. A large part of the Ludwigshafen railway repair shops was burnt out.