176 Enemy Planes Destroyed

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 55, 8 March 1944, Page 5

176 Enemy Planes Destroyed

(By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) Received Tuesday 9.20 p.m. LONDON, March 7. After months of planning the United States Eighth Air Force on Monday sent several hundred Flying Fortresses to Berlin in one of the greatest daylight mass raids. Air battles began 100 miles west of Berlin and continued ovei the target, but perfect bombing weather plus the most powerful screen of longrange fighters enabled the bomb-aimers to leave large areas in flames. The bombers were over Berlin for half-an-hour in which many of the crews had no trouble in picking out such landmarks as the Sportspalst, also areas devastated by the R.A.F. German fighters met the bomber fleets half-an-hour before reaching the city and hung about until the bombers headed in towards Berlin after which they attacked viciously but the dogfiights never reached the intensity of the bitter battles over Brunswick on January 11 and February 10. The pilots estimated that 100 to 150 enemy fighters were involved. The returning bomber crews agreed that the fighter opposition was less formidable than expected as was also the antiaircraft fire. The Germans meanwhile got among the Fortresses formations but generally the escort kept them away. All the bomber crews paid tribute to the perfect fighter escort which the German ‘ * air warning ’ ’ radio described as “ a force of strength rarely seen before.” The Mustangs flew 1130 miles—further than fighters had previously flown in operations. In the daylight raid on Berlin 176 German planes were destroyed by the American Air Forces.