ONE-THIRD DESTROYED

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22247, 17 January 1944, Page 3

ONE-THIRD DESTROYED

LEIPZIG’S BOMB DAMAGE (Official Wireless) (Received Jan. 17, 1 p.m.) RUGBY, Jan. 16 Nearly 30 per cent of the most densely built-up areas . of Liepzig, Germany’s fifth largest industrial town, were devastated in the Single 1500-tons attack by the Bomber Command on the night of December 3. Now that the Royal Air Force photograph interpreters have made a full analysis of the damage it can be seen that only one-tenth of the destruction was in the less fully built-up areas. This great concentration of bombing in the most vulnerable part of Leipzig must have caused extreme and prolonged disorganisation in one of the enemy’s most important industrial centres. With a population of 700,000 it has a considerable variety of war and essential industries, and the Nazis have greatly developed the aircraft industry there since the war began. The largest areas damaged are around the enormous central station, which itself has been damaged. Nearly 50 identified factories and 77 smaller works to which names cannot be given were hit. One of the most important is the woolcombing plant of Leipziger Woolkammerei, the third largest works of its kind in Germany. At a time when the enemy is desperately short of textiles the damage to this factory, more than a third of which has been destroyed, must have been a severe blow. War factories which were damaged include plants for tank components, armaments, trailers, electric vehicles and magnesium- alloys.