BIGGEST EFFORT FROM SOUTH

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 188, 8 May 1944, Page 5

BIGGEST EFFORT FROM SOUTH

Allied Air Campaign OIL TARGETS IN RUMANIA (British Official Wireless.) (Received May 7, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, May 6. Strong forces of the Mediterranean Allied Air Force bomlbed railway targets at five points in Rumania In day-, light today, says a Naples correspondent. The targets were Brasov, Pitesti, Craiova, Turnu Severin and Campina. Brasov is 75 miles north of Bucharest and Pitesti is 60 miles north-west and Craiova 05 miles west of the capital. These daylight attacks continued a round-the-clock bombing of Rumanian targets which began yesterday with an assault on the Ploesti oil refineries and continued last night with an R.A.F. attack on the Campina refineries. Fortresses were detailed for bombing the aircraft factory at Brasov, while Liberators pounded the railway yards.Lightnings, Thunderbolts and Mustangs flew a shuttle service covering the Liberators and Fortresses. Throughout the flight a number of victories were scored over enemy fighters. There are important railway yards at all five points and an aircraft factory at Brasov, while Turnu Severin is also an important transhipment point between the river and rail traffic. The crews of R.A.F. bombers attacking the Campina railway yards and oil storage tanks saw bombs fall in the vast tank area with a capacity of over 200,000 tons of oil. At least one tank exploded, and other terrific explosions were seen. Thirteen per cent, of Rumania’s oil is refined at Campina. Over 500 Fortresses and Liberators participated in today’s raids. Today’s communique from the Allied headquarters says: “Strong forces of heavy bombers yesterday attacked railway yards and oil installations at Ploesti, railway yards at Pitesti and Turnu Severin, and troop concentrations at Podgorica (Yugoslavia). Last night medium bombers bombed the railway yards at Campina (20 miles north-west of Ploesti on the railway to Brasov). Light bombers attacked an ammunition dump west of Albano. A few fighterbombers operated against road and rail communications, bridges, ammunition dumps and landing* grounds north and south of Rome. “During these operations 11 enemy aircraft were destroyed. Sixteen of our heavy bombers are missing. The Allied air force flew over 1960 sorties.” According to a correspondent in Italy, the heavy bombers of the Medditerranean forces flew their greatest number of sorties yesterday, and the bomb load exceeded the weight dropped on any previous day. .