COLOGNE SET ABLAZE AGAIN

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 245, 17 October 1942, Page 5

COLOGNE SET ABLAZE AGAIN

ROUND-THE-CLOCK OFFENSIVE. ANGLO- AMERICAN CO-OPERA-TION.

P.A. Cable.

LONDON, Oct. 16.

A strong force of R.A.F. bombers, including a Ganadian squadron, attacked the Rhineland last night. They caused big fires in Cclogne. The 18 bombers missing include three from the Can adian Squadron. Berlin radio stated that the R.A.F. last night "aimlessly bombed widely scattered localities in the Rhineland, causing slight damage." It claimed that at least 21 raiders were shot down. No raiders were over Britain last night, but to-day four of the Luftwaffe came over the south-west coast, bombed a village and machinegunned children in a schoolground. Two other raiders attacked a town on the south-east coast. A later message says it was four Focke-Wulfs which attacked the south-western village and machinegunned school children. Two of the planes were shot down. A villager said the Focke-Wulfs came very low and apparently deliberately mac'hinegunned the toddlers in the schoolground. The majority were infants. Four were sent to hospital. The village was very little damaged. Captain Rickenbacker told the War Department that the fog of oonfusion regarding the respective qualities of British and American flghter planes was rapidly disappearing. The fact that U.S. pilots in Pfngland flew Spitfires was widely misinterpreted as meaning that American fighters were inferior. The faets were that the pilots flew Spitfires because Spitfires were available. Thus American fighters. instead of going to England, could be sent elsewhere.

"The British are continuing the production of long-range nightbombers," he said. "British nightbombing and U.S. daytime precisionbombing will complement each other into a round-the-clock bombardment in which day-bombers will serve as pathfinders, setting fire to enemy targets and providing beacons for the night-bombers." Captain Rickenbacker found that Britain had mobilised all her resources for victory and had employed all her manpower and womanpower in the war effort. He concluded: "From our standpoint the picture is as bright as a grim portrait of war could be."