BOMBERS BUSY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 February 1943, Page 3

BOMBERS BUSY

OPERATIONS IN HOLLAND AND GERMANY DOCKS LEFT IN FLAMES. OFFENSIVE AGAINST U-BOATS CONTINUED. LONDON, February 19. Ventura bombers of the R.A.F. with fighters for top cover were out across the Channel this afternoon attacking the docks at Den Oever, in Holland. They left large fires blazing. One fighter is missing. The R.A.F. offensive against U-boat bases went ahead last night when another heavy attack was made on Wilhelmshaven. Big four-engine bombers went out to pound the port in brilliant moonlight. The vital dock area was soon a carpet of fire. It was Wilhelmshaven’s 71st raid. it CARPET OF FIRE MANY INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS ALIGHT. CLASHES WITH NIGHT FIGHTERS. i (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) RUGBY, February 19. In the raid by our four-engined bombers on Wilhelmshaven one Halifax pilot said fires from incendiaries spread right up to the edge of the docks and he watched two or three 4000-pound-ers burst with terrific red flashes among them. There was a carpet of fire right over the docks and many industrial buildings were alight. There were a number of encounters with night fighters, one of which was hit in its wing by fire from one of our aircraft and, as the fighter swerved away, burning fragments could be seen falling from it. In another case one of our Lancasters had a sharp exchange with a fighter which was hit and was seen to crash into the sea and disappear. INTRUDER AIRCRAFT TRAINS & BARGES ATTACKED. OPERATIONS DURING NIGHT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, February 19. Intruder aircraft of the Fighter Command, flying over Northern France and Belgium during the night, attacked goods trains, engines and barges with bombs and cannon fire. They also bombed the railway between Dunkirk and Furnes, also shipping off Ostend. TWENTY-FOUR FIGHTERS DESTROYED BY AMERICAN BOMBERS. IN RAIDS ON CONTINENT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) RUGBY, February 19. “Twenty-four German fighters were destroyed by American Flying Fortresses and Liberators in the last two daylight raids,” states the headquarters of the United States Army Eighth Air Force. “In a raid on Dunkirk on Monday four enemy aircraft were destroyed and two American bombers failed to return and, in an attack on Saint Nazaire the following day, six of oui' bombers were lost but twenty enemy fighters were destroyed.” SHIPPING ATTACKED SUPPLY VESSEL SET ALIGHT (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, February 19. The Air Ministry communique states that last night in good weather aircraft of the Bomber Command made a heavy attack on Wilhelmshaven. Fighter Command aircraft attacked a railway and canal targets in France and Belgium and enemy shipping on the coast. Coastal Command aircraft attacked enemy shipping on the Dutch coast. The results were difficult to observe but hits were seen on one medium sized supply ship, which was set on fire. Four of our bombers and two fighters and one aircraft of the Coastal Command are missing. RAID ON LORIENT NAZI REPORT OF CASUALTIES. LONDON, February 18. It is reported from Stockholm that the German News Agency has announced that 1500 were killed in the last R.A.F. raid on Lorient. The evacuation of the city’s 43,000 inhabitants was completed yesterday. POSITION STABILISED. AMERICANS FIGHT* SPLENDIDLY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) RUGBY, February 19. Apparently the enemy is satisfied with the extend of his gains in Central Tunisia and no big-scale attacks were reported yesterday, cables a correspondent in North Africa. He put in one small attack in the neighbourhood of Pichon, where our troops have been withdrawing, to straighten the line. This was repulsed. A military spokesman said it is impossible yet to estimate enemy losses in the recent battle but it would not be fair to' the American troops to think that they had not taken a toll of the enemy in his advance. They fought maggnificently, knocking out twenty tanks in the first day’s attack. Nothing has occurred so far to suggest that they did not continue to inflict losses on the enemy, despite their own casualties. The position was never easy as we were holding a long thin line but the position now has been stabilised. DUTCH PILOTS HITS ON GERMAN CONVOY. E-BOATS ALSO ATTACKED.' (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 12.25 p.m.) RUGBY, February 19. In' bright moonlight last night the pilots of a Dutch squadron, operating with the Coastal Command caught a German convoy off the coast of Holland and scored hits on two ships. On their way, home they sightI cd enemy E-boats, which were attacked by fighters, all the pilots reporting hits on the E-boats.