MANY HEAVY BOMBS ON MUNICH

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 8, 5 October 1943, Page 5

MANY HEAVY BOMBS ON MUNICH

Defenders Use Flares

LONDON, October 3. Last night’s heavy raid on the south German city of Munich was the R.A.F. s fourth attack on Germany in five nights and was concentrated into 25 minutes, starting at just before 10.30 p.in. During that period 10 40001 b. bombs were dropped every minute—a total of 500 tons of explosives. By the end of the attack the fires had gained a strong hold, and one rear-gunner could see them 200 miles away. At the very end a big explosion lit up the rolling smoke clouds for several seconds. The Germans used their new flarepath technique on a big scale. Their fighters laid lines of flares along the course of the raiders, starting at a point 150 miles from the target. They placed other flares near the ground so as to show up bombers. Our crews reported that at first the flak was heavy, but at a given signal it stopped and a large force of night lighters came into action. The bombers were sheltered by thick cloud, which thinned into haze over the target. Reuter’s Algiers correspondent reports that Flying Fortresses shot down between 50 and 60 German fighters which attacked them over the Munieh area. Today’s German communique says that strong British bomber formations made a terror attack on Munich and caused considerable damage and casualties. It adds'. “The enemy in daylight yesterday bombed Emden and other coastal places from a great height under cover of clouds. The German news agency reports that major damage was caused in parts ot Munich. , Munich is the first German city to suffer the Allies’ two-way attacks from Britain and North Africa. The raid last night was the second within 48 hours. Munich was attacked on Friday by heavy bombers from north-west Africa, winch made a round flight of 1800 miles across the Alps. From African Bases. Other bombers from African bases bombed Wieder Neustadt, near Vienna, at the same.time in this first expedition across the Alps from the south. Reconnissance photographs indicate that Friday’s raid considerably damaged war industry buildings at Wiener Neustadt, including an assembly shop tor Messerschmitt fighters. , Ou Friday night bombers based in Britain heavily attached the important coal, iron aud engineering centre and the big •rail junction of Hagen, in the Ruhr, and yesterday Flying Fortresses, escorted by Thunderbolts, attacked the naval- base at Emden. An official report, says that the bombing of Hagen was well concentrated. The daylight air offensive in the west today was the heaviest for some. time. A brilliant sun shone in the Strait or Dover, and Allied aircraft crossed the Channel with the regularity of an express train service till dusk. Seven enemy fighters were destroyed without loss to the Allied forces. They fell to R.A.F ~ Allied and Dominion Spitfires which were escorting Marauders to bomb airfields in Holland, including the great airport of Amsterdam. Very few of the German tice fighters, Focke-IVulf 190’s, were Seen, but of those which did appear one was shot down. . , Marauders also attacked an airfield about 40 miles from Paris this afternoon.