DAYLIGHT BOMBING RAIDS

Evening Star, Issue 24331, 21 October 1942, Page 3

DAYLIGHT BOMBING RAIDS

(British Official Wireless.) ({Rec. 12.15 p.m.) RUGBY, October 20. An Air Ministry communique states: In daylight Mosquitoes of the Bomber Command, flying singly, attacked objectives , near Hanover and Wilhelmshaven and also at Bremen, where bombs dropped from a low level were seen to burst in the centre of the city. One of our aircraft is missing. AMERICA MUST EXPECT BOMBING RETIRED AIR CHIEF'S VIEWS NEW YORK, October 19. In an article in the ‘ Mercury ’ magazine, Colonel Hugh Knerr, a retired chief of the United States Army Air Corps, predicts that Germany will resume her concentrated bombings of air bases in England, redouble her attacks on American shipping, and directly bomb American industrial centres. “The Germans at present have planes capable of raiding America any time they choose,” he writes, “ and they have been testing bombers with an altitude of 40,000 feet and equipped with automatic pilots and improved bomb-sights. I think the Germans will come from Norway via the Arctic and strike the industrial regipn between Sault St. Marie and Niagara, and perhaps ag far south as Pittsburg. The present German - air strength is barely holding its own because they froze models early in the war, but soon the new series of Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs will give her the finest fighting team in the world. To oppose it we have the Spitfire, which equals the Messerschmitt in the air-cooled class, and the Republic P 47, which has still to be proved as good as the FockeWulf. “ I do not think wo can knock out the German air force before the spring, but it is possible the United Nations may have the mastery of the air over Europe before the spring. A threat to this is our own navy, which is attempting to divide the production of Flying Fortresses and divert hundreds of these planes to Pacific naval bases under battleship admirals who have no business with land-based bombers because they do not know how to use them.”

STRING OF ALASKA* AIRPORTS

EDMONTON (Alberta), Oct. 19. The Minister of Trade and Commerce, Mr J. A. MacKinnon, in a statement, said that a string of airports from Edmonton to the Yukon, and the new Alaska had in the main been successfully concluded. “ These projects,” he added, “ are intended not only for defence, but for attack as well, and will have a profound influence on the future course of the war.”

OVER-RUN BY NAZI AGENTS

CAIRO A HOTBED OF INTRIGUE

LONDON, October 19.

“Cairo is a hotbed of intrigue and is overrun by Nazi agents,” said Mr John Ogden, a New York publisher, who has returned from Egypt after a year with the American field service. “ The British authorities know many of these agents and feed them with false infer-, mation for transmission to Berlin.”

M REQUEST FROM FRAU HESS

LONDON, October 20. The Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Mr R. K. Law), answering a question in the House of Commons today, said there was no truth _in the suggestion that Frau Hess was in England. No request that she should be allowed to join her husband had been received, but even if it had it would not be granted, as there was no provision for such a course, under the Prisoners of War Convention.

MADAGASCAR FIGHTING

A BRITISH SUCCESS

(British Official Wireless.)

(Reo. 11.10 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 20. A communique from East African headquarters says: Yesterday our forces, advancing southward to Ambositra, on the road to Fianarantosa, outflanked, attacked, and within three hours overwhelmed a considerable Vichy force holding strong positions on the Ivato cross-roads. We took 50 prisoners, including Colonel Motras, commander of the First Mixed Malagasy Regiment. No losses have been reported on our side. One of Motras’s battalion commanders (Lieu-tenant-colonel Pensereau) had previously fallen into onr hands. The total of prisoners taken during the operation around Arabositra now exceeds 800, with two guns, a large number of mortars, and heavy machine guns. Our troops are well southward of Ambositra, and are clearing the road of the usual obstructions. LEBANON AND SYRIA AMERICAN MILITARY MOVEMENTS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 20. The Rome radio reported that fresh contingents of American troops had arrived in- Lebanon, including numerous air units. They were ordered to occupy Syrian aerodromes.

The Berlin radio said that Americans arrived in Syria before proceeding to Persia and Russia.

COUNTERING INDUSTRIAL FATIGUE

CANBERRA, October 20. National security regulations limiting the hours of work for manual workers in Australian industry have been gazetted. Their object is to increase the war output by counteracting industrial fatigue. The regulations prescribe a maximum week of 48 hours for workers aged less than 18. Up to November 30 the maximum week for workers aged more than 18 will be 60 hours. After November 30 the maximum week for these workers will be 56 hours.

BRITAIN'S BIG WAR BILL

LONDON, October. 20,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir Kingsley Wood) sought authority in the House of Commons to-day for a vote of £1,000,000,000 for war expenditure. This will make a total of £12,050,000,000 appropriated for war purposes since the outbreak of hostilities. •