R.A.F. ATTACK ON NUREMBERG

Southland Times, Issue 24836, 31 August 1942, Page 5

R.A.F. ATTACK ON NUREMBERG

GREAT FIRE STARTED (8.0.W.) RUGBY, August 29. A strong force of Royal Air Force bombers last night attacked objectives in Nuremberg and Saarbrucken. Thirty of our bombers are missing. Nuremberg, formerly a beautiful old city, has been turned by the Germans into an important centre of war industry. It is well known as a Nazi stronghold. It has a tank factory and a large aluminium works making piston rods and castings, also a factory making heavy electrical equipment. Nuremberg is also important as a railway centre, with great repair shops for locomotives and rolling stock. The weather was perfect for the attack. There was scarcely a trace of cloud for miles around the target and a brilliant moon. With fires springing

up from targets the crews could see the buildings and streets almost as clearly as in the day-time. One Lancaster pilot reported there were terrific fires raging when they arrived and they started more. The defence was very strong. The crews saw many combats going on around them as night fighters attacked our bombers. At least one Messerschmitt 110 was destroyed. FIRES IN SAARBRUCKEN The attack on Saarbrucken was made by a force almost as strong as that at Nuremberg. There was some haze over the town, but many fires were reported. It is officially stated that United States Flying Fortresses, escorted by Royal Air Force fighters, bombed a German aerodrome near Courtrai, Belgium, today. Many bursts were seen on the target. On the return trip the Flying Fortresses beat off attacks by enemy fighters, several of which were severely damaged, though their destruction pould not be confirmed. During this operation diversionary sweeps, in which United States fighters participated, were made. None of our planes is missing. Bostons of the Bomber Command, escorted by fighters, attacked the docks at Ostend this morning, while other bombers attacked power stations in the Lille-Lens area. Two enemy fighters were destroyed during diversionary sweeps by our fighters. Two bombers and one fighter are missing. There was slight enemy activity over Britain today. Bombs were dropped in widely separated places. Some damage and casualties are reported. One enemy bomber was shot down off the south-west coast by fighters. WAR ON~U-BOATS (8.0.W.) RUGBY, August 29. An official statement issued by the American Navy Department in Washington says that the Royal Air Force Coastal Command is co-operating with United States naval and army aircraft in anti-submarine operations— in the Western Atlantic and has already engaged the enemy. According to the Air Ministry News Service it is a crack Coastal Command squadron which is now flying Lockheed Hudsons. In the early part of the war the squadron was in France flying Blenheims on army co-operation work, but since the fall of France it has joined up with the Coastal Command and has made many bombing sorties on U-boat, bases on the French Atlantic coast and also on the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau when they were at Brest.