BOMBERS OVER RHINELAND

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23977, 18 June 1943, Page 5

BOMBERS OVER RHINELAND

Cologne Among Objectives 14 R.A.F. PLANES MISSING (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) CRec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, June 17. Royal Air Force bombex-s were over Germany last night, for the sixth night running. Targets were attacked in Cologne and elsewhere in the Rhineland. Beyond the fact that 14 bombers did not get back, no details of the raids are yet known. This morning Royal Air Force fighters attacked transport and other targets in Holland and Belgium. Six enemy fighters were shot down, and one British fighter is missing. No ertemy raiders were over Britain last night. The Air Ministry says: “Typhoons on offensive patrol on Tuesday morning damaged several locomotives in northern France. In an engagement with enemy fighters over the Channel Spitfires destroyed two enemy fighters. Four of our aircraft are missing, but two of the pilots are safe. “It is reported that there was no daylight activity over Britain.” Four Spitfires attacked 20 Focke Wulfs with such dash over the Channel that the German fighters turned for home without reaching their objective, a Walrus amphibian, which was taxi-ing over the sea with a Typhoon pilot who had been rescued after bailing out of his machine two miles off the French coast. The Walrus, unable to take off because of high seas, was being escorted by the Spitfires when the German machines atA series of dogfights, ranging from wave-top height to 4000 feet, followed, and the enemy was hopelessly outmatched. Not one of the enemy was allowed to come within range of the Walrus, the pilot of which did not even know that a battle was going on above him. Two Focke Wulfs were shot down and two Spitfires were lost. One of the pilots is safe. BOMBING RAID ON DUSSELDORF N.Z. PILOT DESCRIBES EXPERIENCES (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, June 18. “It was as bright as day,” said Flight Sergeant G. V. Helm, of Invercargill, who was pilot of a Stirling in the 75th (New Zealand) Squadron, in describing h j :; experiences when he was held in a cone of searchlights over Dusseldorf during the big raid on June 11. Flight Sergeants D. M. Stewart, of Tirau, and J. G. A. Fisk were members of his crew, as well as two Englishmen and two Scots. “It was our fourth trip together,” said Flight Sergeant Helm. "Everything was fairly quiet until we reached the target, when we were badly coned by searchlights. We were just about to bomb, so we continued to fly straight and level until our bombs had gone. Then we weaved violently. We could hear shells crumping around us, and lumps of iron were flying through the Stirling. Our weaving was so violent that all four engines once stopped temporarily and we dropped 1000 feet before they picked up. “One piece of flak hit the mid upper turret, and also the hydraulic pipes. We got out all right, but there was oil everywhere from leaking pipes, and Fight Sergeant Stewart’s navigating instruments were all over the kite, mostly falling on the bomb aimer.” Other New Zealanders who took part in the raid included Squadron Leader H. Broadbent, of Auckland, Flight Lieutenant J. .Toll, of New Plymouth, who was carrying out his second tour with the squadron, Flight Sergeant H. C. Williams, of Woodvillc, Sergeants J. N. Mee, of Central Otago, D. P. Bain, of Auckland, D. N. Luxton, of Hamilton, and E. S. Wilkinson, of Nelson. AMERICAN RAIDS ON GERMANY (8.0. W.) RUGBY, June 18. The United States War Department has released preliminary data demonstrating the rapidly increasing strength of the United States Afr Forces which are bombing Germany from England. In 18 raids over Germany, 11 of which have occurred since May 14, 571 German aircraft have been shot down, 187 probably shot down, and 23'1 damaged, at the cost of 106 American aeroplanes. Operating in daylight at high altitudes, the Americans flew 1600 sorties, including the attacks on Wilhelmshaven, Cuxhaven, Bremen, and Kiel, which cost only 34 aeroplanes and caused vast damage to military objectives. The United States Assistant Chief of the Air Staff for Intelligence, in a speech before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, discussed the Allies’ use of precision bombing as opposed to the German terror bombing. Referring to Mr Churchill’s statement in 1917 that bombing for terror alone would never cause' a major nation to sue for peace, he said that England to-day was proof of the truth of that statement. On the other hand, he emphasised that the German failure to win the Battle of Britain resulted from a misconception of the use of air power and was not proof of the futility of stx-ategic bombing. MR WINANT VISITS BOMBER STATION LONDON, June 16, The United States Ambassador to Britain (Mr John G. Winant), on a visit to a Flying Fortress station in Britain, was shown what it is like to be briefed for a bombing raid. Behind locked doors the pilots were given information regarding a U-boat nest near Bremen. While there, Mr Winant met the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Forces in the European theatre (Lieutenant-General J. L. Deversl and the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Air Force in Bi-itain (MajorGeneral Ira C. Eaker). Mr Winant, in addressing the crews, said: “You have done something that many experts thought impossible. You have bombed enemy territory in daylight,” Mr Winant also spoke to the pilots of P. 47 (Thunderbolt) fighters. These men had formerly been members of the famous American Eagle Squadron. IMPROVED HALIFAX BOMBER (8.0. W.) RUGBY, June 18. The latest version of the* Halifax bomber embodies many structural and aerodynamic improvements which have resulted in a great advance in performance. The earlier aeroplane had a power operated gun turret in the nose. This has been replaced by a large perspex nose. The removal of the turret enables Increased space to be made available for the navigator and bomb-aimer. The new nose permits improved distribution of equipment and an excellent view in all directions. Merlin 22 engines replace the Rolls Royce Merlin 20, adding materially to the speed of the Halifax. The dorsal turret of two guns has been replaced by a Boulton Paul turret of four guns. Other alterations have added materially to the armament and speed of the bomber.