HEAVIEST YET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 March 1943, Page 3

HEAVIEST YET

LATEST ALLIED BOMBING OF BERLIN LARGE FIRES LEFT BURNING EXTENDED NIGHT AND DAY ATTACKS. ON GERMANY AND OCCUPIED TERRITORY. LONDON, March 28. Last night, for the sixth time this year, Berlin felt the weight of British bombs. The pilots found cloud over most of the journey to Berlin but the sky cleared as the giant planes roared over, ‘the German capital. The main attack was over in half-an-hour from 11 to 11.30. Soon large fires were burning on both sides of the River Spree, and the last, crews over the city reported fires over a wide area. Full reports have not yet come in. About 900 tons of bombs blasted the city, twice the weight that the Germans have dropped in any raid on London. Nine planes are missing from this raid. Berlin had not yet recovered from the previous heavy raid on March 1, when something like 700 buildings were destroyed and fires were left burning in the centre of the city for three days. The official German news agency said this morning that in yesterday’s raid the bombers converged on Berlin from the west and south, and attacked in two waves. It admitted damage from high explosive and incendiary bombs. The telephone service between Berlin and Stockholm was cut off for an hour and a half.

DUISBURG BLASTED. The Air Ministry states that on Friday night a strong force of aircraft attacked targets in the Ruhr, including the inland port' of Duisburg. Four bombers are missing, and two fighters are missing from offensive patrol during the night. No aircraft are missing from Friday’s operations by Whirlwinds over Normandy. The R.A.F. today followed up last night’s attack on Berlin —the heaviest to date —by making a daylight raid on Rotterdam. R.A.F. Dominion and Allied fighters escorted American heavy bombers to Rouen, the big railway centre in Northern France. Venturas, with a fighter escort, raided Rotterdam this afternoon, when shipping and shipbuilding yards were attacked. All the planes got back safely. AMERICANS IN ACTION. Heavy bombers of the United States Eighth Army Air Force attacked the railway yards at Rouen in daylight today. The bombing results were good. Strong fighter opposition was encountered and the bombers destroyed several enemy aircraft. One bombei’ and four fighters are missing. There was no enemy air activity over this country last night or in daylight today. On Saturday afternoon an enemy aircraft dropped bombs near the coast in the south-east of England. No one was injured. One enemy aircraft was destroyed off the south coast earlier in the afternoon. On Saturday evening Bomber Command Mosquitos attacked a factory at' Hengelo, Holland. In the afternoon fighters attacked goods trains and barges in Holland and north-west Germany. None of our aircraft is missing. This was the first occasion on which the Fighter Command had carried its daylight offensive into Germany when a lone Mosquito of the Fighter Command covered more than 600 miles, shot up a variety of targets in north-west Germany and came home without' meeting any air opposition. Targets for the Mosquito’s cannon fire included two barges, two military lorries, a goods train, engines and trucks. HAVOC IN GENOA. News has been received of damage by the R.A.F. to the Italian city of Genoa. An area of 40,000 square yards in the centre of the city is to be entirely rebuilt.