ESSEN’S LATEST RAID

Grey River Argus, 31 May 1943, Page 5

ESSEN’S LATEST RAID

FURTHER PARTICULARS 8.0.W. RUGBY, May 28. _ Essen had its heaviest attack this year by British bombers last night—and this year’s attacks made Essen the hardest hit town in the whole of Germany, states the Air Ministry News Service. Though Krupps and many other targets in Essen had already been so badly damaged— Krupps itself covers eight hundred acres—there were many other war factories. Last night, though the weather was overcast, gaps in the clouds revealed large fires which took a firm hold. Even when the clouds covered a considerable part of the target they were always thin, and the fires could be seen glowing strongly. One pilot, making a special reconnaissance reported that the fires appeared to weld themselves into a solid mass over a large area.

The bombers attacked in ten waves each about equal strength, between 12.45 and 1.45 a.m., and each wave carried a bomb load calculated to do most damage, at each stage of the attack. Many crews reported violent explosions, too big to have been caused by bursts of four thousand pounder bombs dropped in large numbers, or even the eight thousand pounders also in the load. In one explosion, a sheet of vivid red flame suddenly shot up to a great height then died down .again just as suddenly. At intervals during the attack, the barrage over Essen, in the opinion of experienced crews, was more violent than anything seen there be-r fore. The searchlights could not cooperate with the guns, because of the clouds, but shell-bursts seemed to cover the sky over the town. . Many aircraft, returned with holes in the wings and fuselage. The German radio admits that last night’s raid on Essen, which was the seventh on the city this year, caused considerable damage, especially in the city area. NEW TACTICS OVER ESSEN <Rec. 7.0) LONDON, May 29. A “Daily Express” aviation correspondent stated: The Bomber Command tried out with brilliant results an entirely new form of attack in giving Essen its mightiest battering it had yet endured. Instead of the now familiar “cascade,” with planes converging; against the target in a .single mass, they swept over the town in ten waves. One aim of the new form of attack was to confuse'an immensely-strong Ruhr defences. Only 23 bombers were lost

from a huge force used. This factshows the technique was justified.

ZEEBRUGGE

8.0.W.

RUGBY, May 28.

•An Air Minisrty Communique states: Bomber Command Venturas, escorted by Spitfires, to-day attacked coke ovens at Zeebrugge. One bomber and one fighter are missing.