SUSTAINED* AIR OFFENSIVE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 102, 25 January 1943, Page 4

SUSTAINED* AIR OFFENSIVE

Occupied Territory ALLIED AIRCRAFT HIT OUT HARD (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. 1 ) LONDON, January 23. „ The Air Ministry and United States headquarters announce that Flying Fortresses attacked teh submarine bases at Lorient and ■. Brest, today. Visibility was good, and excellent results were obtained. Squadrons of Dominion and Allied fighters covered the bombers as far as Brittany. Enemy fighter opposition was encountered in the target area, and a number were destroyed. Five bombers are missing. An Air Ministry bulletin says that Mustangs of the Army Co-operation Command had another successful day’s operations over northern France. The pilots of one squadron hit ,17 locomotives and attacked three more with unobserved results. In 50 minutes one section of the squadron inflicted many casualties on a company of German troops, attacked six trains and saw hits on all engines, attacked two large barges, a dredge, and three tugs. They set one tug on fire. Pilots of other Mustangs over France brought the total of railway engines attacked to 27. Medium bombers took part in daylight operations yesterday afternoon. Last night R.A.F. aircraft carried out reconnaissance over Western Germany. Heavy Earlier Attacks. An Air Ministry communique stated that offensive operations on a large scale were carried out early yesterday afternoon over northern France and Belgium. The Bomber Command attacked oil installations at Herneuzeu, near Ghent, and airfields at Maupertue, in the Cherbourg Peninsula, and at Abbeville and St. Omer. Many squadrons of the R.A.F., U.S.A.A.F., Dominion and Allied fighters participated. Six of our fighters are missing. Soon after midday yesterday an R.A.A.F. Hampden scored a torpedo hit on an enemy supply ship off Stavanger. American-built Mitchell 825 medium bombers participated for the first time yesterday -with the R.A.F. in Britain, in the Bomber Command’s daylight operations. The Americans used B2s’s for bombing Tokio. The Press Association’s aeronautical correspondent points out that with Mosquito. Bisley, Ventura, Boston, and now Mitchell aircraft; the British and American air offensive possesses the finest quintet of light and medium bombers in the xvorld. R.A.F. bomhbers on Thursday night attacked the Ruhr district for the ninth time this month. Large fires were left burning, but observation was difficult on account of heavy cloud. Four aircraft did not return. There are reports of great R.A.F. activity over the Channel this afternoon. A few enemy aircraft were active over the southern coast of England today. Bombs and machinegun fire did some damage at two places, at one of which there was a small number of casualties, including some killed. Early last night a few enemy aircraft dropped bombs at scattered places in north-eastern and southern England, from one of which a small number of casualties and some damage has been reported.

FIFTY-SEVEN DEAD IN LONDON SCHOOL

LONDON, January 22. The death-roll at the bombed Loudon school is now 57. Rescuers worked all last night in an attempt to locate the bodies. Squads of 100 men worked in shifts aided by a mobile crane under the light of flares. Some wreckage remains to be cleared, but it is thought unlikely that any further bodies will be recovered.