Colossal Blow Against Cologne

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 127, 1 June 1942, Page 5

Colossal Blow Against Cologne

WAR'S HEAVIEST RAID

Bombers Over City At Rate Of One Every Six Seconds

(Ualted Press Association.-c„ pyrlght ._ Ee( , , p m )

"Vrvn k LONDON, May 31. which wiH reaound? .TXiL"' bW " out the world," said Air-Marshal A T but throu ß^Chief of the Bomber cimm."d i„ » L C°»»»a»der.instation before his 'a message to every bomber which attacked ° rder "'" , ed ov « '<>00 bombers with «pto°„lr a r' y *' ' nt ervals, each playing in the attack. To saturlte°the JETf P ? rt , il Waß heavily-defended areas in Germans fk C 1 ° ne ° most more than 90 minutes with bomb?' WaS to take not every six seconds. the K """j? mat 3 rate of one searchlight crews and to prevent thwf fro ract tlle « un and single plane for any length of time conc entrat.ng on any in iTZTaIT" Meteorologist, early worked as never before. Bomb loadV r^chHaT? and . armourers There was keen competition between a J">nomical figures, the .tation. to ... wfich Z "ol JET" oenior officers decided that they would fly with crews under tz: lhe Three Thousand Ton# of Bombs tolly On 3Mo^o„i' ofT' K Pla "" r d il » Zt k£l ♦ 1 J i , b ? mbs were dropped, which is easily the biggest load released in one night in the war. The highest STntV LuftW * ffe haS released on B » tai " — 500 tons over For the first time all R.A.F. commands were concerned in one night s operations. including the Army Co-opera Son BriEilT" Tl? no*. be en previously reported in action from hlwkT" TWkT » equipped with Blenheims and Tomahawks. I nere has never been such a collection of different types f k nC k ?k ga *t toge .* her - At least 1 3 types were involved, SHrlTno! »ni e H w™"* c ° nß ' Bte d of four-engined Lancasters, Stirling* and twin-engined Manchesters, Wellingtons and Hampdens. There were also Hudsons. Blenheims, Spitfires, Hurricanes, Havocs, Beaufighters, and Tomahawks for other purposes. The Stirlings and Lancasters were capable of carrying eight tons to Germany, and the Halifaxes five tons and a half Ihe average bomb load of the mixed types was just under two tons for each machine in the air.

Expert* in London consider that the British loss of 44 from the huge number of planes used was highly satisfactory, ren per cent is generally regarded as a high mark for losses