OBJECTIVES IN RHINELAND

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23974, 15 June 1943, Page 5

OBJECTIVES IN RHINELAND

R.A.F. Attacks On Germany BIG RAIDS AT WEEK-END (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON. June 14. “Last night aircraft of the Bomber Command laid mines in enemy waters. Other aircraft bombed objectives in the Rhineland and elsewhere in Germany," says an Air Ministry communique. ‘‘One of our aircraft is missing." Beaufighters, escorted by Spitfires last night attacked an enemy convoy off the Dutch coast. A large supply ship was hit by torpedoes and a smaller supply ship was sunk. Four escort vessels were damaged. One Beaufighter is missing. Bremen and Kiel, where a considerable percentage of Germany's U-boat production and servicing arc done, were bombed effectively by American aircraft in daylight on Sunday. Many enemy fighters were destroyed. The attack produced the greatest air battle in which United States Bth Air Force heavy bombers have yet participated. American lighter squadrons carried out two successful sweeps over the enemy-held coast on Sunday. In the morning sweep P47's (Thunderbolts) pursued and engaged a score of enemy fighters, destroying three without loss to themselves. In the afternoon fighters destroyed two more enemy aircraft. From the bombing raid and the fighter operations, 26 American bombers and two fighters are missing. Raid on Bochum The raid by Royal Air Force fourengined bombers on Bochum, in the Ruhr, on Saturday night, was not ns heavy as that on Dusseldorf the night before, but more than five two-ton bombs wore dropped every minute and tens of thousands of incendiaries were rained on the target. It appeared to crews of the 400 be ibers sent to Bochum, that the Germans after nearly three and' a half months of the Battle of the Ruhr had strengthened their defences, having brought up many more guns to help the outer ring of defences. A Halifax pilot said: “As soon as we reached the fringes of the Ruhr the whole place seemed to come alive with hundreds of gun flashes. The barrage did not let up once from then on. It appeared as if the Germans had massed guns miles deep.” Another pilot commented on the number of searchlights. He counted more than 100 to the west of the target and 80 more to the cast. Two huge cones of about 70 searchlights were sweeping over Muensler. As the number of bombers over the targets increased, the co-ordinated defence began to waver. Later arrivals found two large areas of fire, one in a northern district of Bochum and one in a southern district. Some pilots were guided to the target by the glow in the clouds. Bochum is in the eastern Ruhr. It has a population of 520.000 and is the centre of the most prolific parts of the Ruhr coal basin. It has a great number of coke oven plants and an important steel industry. Sunday’s Berlin communique says that British bombers on Saturday night attacked the west of Germany, causing civilian casualties, particularly at Bochum. New Zealanders Take Part Many New Zealanders participated in Friday’s raid on Dusseldorf, which, with the raid on Muenstcr, made a new record for the weight of bombs dropped on Germany. Warrant Officer F. M. Lukey. of Nelson, was bomb aimer' in a Stirling piloted by Flight Lieutenant L. H. Butler, of Dunedin. Warrant Officer Lukey said: “As we tore down through dense clouds of smoke the whole target area seemed a solid mass of flames. I could pick out streams as black linos among the flames. Occasionally I could see factory buildings by the light of fires which had not yet reached them. When we turned for home we knew that we had won another victory in the battle of the Ruhr and that the Germans must have lost still more war factories.” Other New Zealanders who participated in the raid against Dusseldorf were Flight Lieutenant L. B. Reynolds, of Te Awamutu, Flight Sergeant W. E. Elder, of Doric (Canterbury), and Flight Sergeants A. A, Pullan and K. Toom, of Christchurch. A reconnaissance pilot found fires started the previous night at Muenster still burning when he flew over yesterday. Two districts in particular had been badly hit. The pilot took photographs which showed considerable damage to the town, particularly in industrial areas. The gasworks was badly damaged, the station received two direct hits, and two barracks buildings were demolished. Fighter Operations The Air Ministry reports: “Aircraft of the Fighter Command carried out large-scale offensive operations over northern France and the Low Countries on Sunday. In the morning Mitchells bombed targets at Flushing and Bostons attacked objectives at Lille. In the afternoon Typhoon bombers attacked an enemy airfield at Abbeville. “Many squadrons of fighters supported and escorted the operations. One enemy fighter was destroyed by our Spitfires. Two bombers and two fighters are missing. A Focke Wulf 200 was destroyed over the Bay of Biscay on Sunday morning.” * The New Zealand Ventura squadron bombed the Caen airfield in daylight on Saturday evening. It encountered much light anti-aircraft fire, but little fighter opposition. An enemy aircraft was destroyed by fighters off the south-east coast of England this morning. Otherwise there was nothing to report over Britain during daylight on Sunday. A Norwegian pilot of the Coastal Command destroyed an enemy flying-boat off the Norwegian coast this afternoon. A battle between two Mosquitoes of the Fighter Command and one large four-engined Focke Wulf Kurier (a type of aircraft used by Germany in long-range attacks on shipping and spotting for U-boats) occurred over the Bay of Biscay on Sunday morning. The Mosquitoes developed a methodical attack and sent the Kurier crashing into the sea. One Mosquito put the two starboard engines out of action, while the other attacked and put out of action the port engines. One pilot said the Kurier appeared to be struggling along with a heavy load of petrol and was probably bound for a long journey out to sea. A message from Stockholm reports that Goebbels’s villa in the fashionable Berlin suburb of Dahlcm has been considerably damaged by bombs. TURKISH BRITISH DISCUSSIONS BRITISH NAVAL CHIEF IN ANKARA LONDON. June 13, Admiral Sir John Cunningham, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief in the Levant, arrived in Ankara by air, with a small staff, for talks with Turkish military leaders. Rear-Admiral De Meric Dead.— The death has occurred on active service of Rear-Admiral J. C. De Meric, who served in the New Zealand Division for about four years. He died after collapsing at hi s desk at the Admiralty. He was 56 years' of age.—London, June 13.