BIG ATTACK ON DUSSELDORF

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 261, 3 August 1942, Page 5

BIG ATTACK ON DUSSELDORF

Bombs By Thousands ALL-ROUND RAIDS ON ENEMY TERRITORY

(British Official Wireless and Press Assn.)

(Received August 2, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, August 1

An attack described by the Air Ministry news service as probably the most concentrated yet made by the Bomber Command of the R.A.F., has been carried out on Dusseldorf, one of the largest centres of heavy industries in Germany. More than 150 of the 4000 lb. bombs, a great weight of other bombs of all sizes and hundreds of thousands of incendiaries were dropped on the town. Fires were still burning this morning and it is expected the damage done will have considerable effect on industry.

Airfields iu the Low Countries were also bombed. Fighter Command aircraft attacked railway objectives in northern France. Thirty of the Bomber Command and one fighter are missing. The attack on Dusseldorf by a strong force in good weather was completed in 50 minutes. The defence was saturated, guns and searchlights being confused by the momentum of bombing, although the latter were extremely active throughout the attack. Our bombers shot down four German fighters during the attack. Engines Blown Off Line.

Continuing the attacks ou Holland, Belgium and Northern France during the night, aircraft of the Fighter Command bombed two marshalling yards and saw their cannon shells strike .the engines or trucks of six goods trains. One pilot was fired on by a small ship as he returned. He attacked it with cannot fire and left it with only part of the funnel and superstructure showing above water. Bomb-carrying Hurricanes this afternoon attacked goods trains and other targets in occupied France. North-east of Le Havre, they attacked the Mirville railway station, and two goods trains and bombed a factory, warehouse and railway track; Some bombs were dropped from 20 feet. Engines and trucks were blown off the line. Later in the afternoon, Boston bombers, escorted by Spitfires, attacked the dotks at Flushing. Two Bostons are missing. Supply Routes Attacked. Striking at Nazi supply routes, aircraft of the Coastal Command attacked enemy shipping off the Friesian Islands on Thursday night. One medium supply ship was left enveloped in smoke, and another vessel was badly damaged. Several other vessels were attacked. The Fighter Command made a successful attack on a factory in Holland the same night. Other night-fighters attacked railway engines, marshalling yards, and goods sheds. Bostons scored lilts on a factory, one Canadian pilot dropping bombs from COO feet, while a flight sergeant also scored hits from 500 feet. A fighter pilot blew up a railway engine between Lille and Bethune, and damaged another. On Friday afternoon a squadron of Bostons, escorted by a strong force of Spitfires, bombed Abbeville aerodrome. All the Bostons returned safely. Eleven enemy fighters were destroyed. Eight of our fighters are missing. A Sunderland aircraft was attacked by three float-planes in the Bay of Biscay. One of the attackers was destroyed and another was badly damaged. It is now known that three enemy aircraft were destroyed by our bombers during Wednesday night’s raid on gaarbrucken.

The daring attacks on the submarine works at Danzig on July 11 gained one D. 5.0., six D.F.C.’s, and six D.F.M.’s for personnel of the aircraft crews which took part. Acting Air Vice Marshal 11. P. Lloyd has been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of distinguished service in the Mediterranean.

GERMAN RAIDING New Type Of Firebomb? COASTAL AREAS SUFFER (British Official Wireless.) (Received August 2, 7 p.m.) LONDON, August 1. Bombs dropped by German raiders last night ou a north-eastern town (said by Berlin radio to be Hull), caused a number of casualties in the working class district. Most casualties occurred from bombs which fell between two shelters which were almost demolished. A number of residents were trapped in their homes. Ten are still missing. Raiders dropped _ a variety of incendiaries. A warning was issued to fire guards not to approach one type of lire bomb. An official communique states: “Last night a small number of enemy aircraft dropped bombs iu a coastal area in eastern England. At one place, some persons were killed, and a small number injured. Some damage was done. Elsewhere in the same area damage and casualties were slight. One enemy aircraft was destroyed. An enemy plane was destroyed by a lighter off the south coast of England thia morning, and another off the Dutch coast. Two enemy aircraft dropped bombs this evening at a place on the southwest coast of England, doing some damage. Eight German raiders were shot down on Thursday night, including one near its base in France. Air brawls and fights were more frequent. Claim By Vichy. An official Vichy statement says that French anti-aircraft batteries shot down a British plane at Mazagau. The batteries opened up because the plane flew over French territory. Another communique says the R.A.F. yesterday caused important damage at Abancourt, in the Pise Department. Abancourt is an important railway station iu the prohibited zone behind the German coastal defences. The R.A.F. also bombed Cholet, 'but there were no casualties. SCORE REACHES 900 Fighter Station’s Tally Of Enemy Planes (British Ofllcial Wireless.) RUGBY, August: 1. Tlie honour of securing the 900th enemy aeroplane for a Fighter Command station in Kent which has the highest score in Britain must be shared by a New Zealander, an Australian and an Englishman, as they all shot down a plane about the same time, and no one is able to say which brought the score to 900. The station began scoring in November, 1939, and one of its squadrons has accounted for 135 planes.