IN LATEST R.A.F. ONSLAUGHT ON GERMANY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 May 1943, Page 3

IN LATEST R.A.F. ONSLAUGHT ON GERMANY

Great Floods Unleashed POWER STATION AND BRIDGES SWEPT AWAY AMERICAN BOMBERS BLAST LORIENT AND BORDEAUX LONDON, May 17. Allied aircraft from Britain are keeping up the great air offensive against Axis Europe. After special attention by Lancasters to Germany’s main water reservoirs, large formations of American bombers today attacked Lorient- and Bordeaux, while R.A.F. fighters and bombers also crossed the Channel. The latest reports, following on the R.A.F’s. attack on three German dams in the Ruhr Valley early this morning, are that vast floods have been caused. In the attack on two dams which contained two-thirds of the water storage of the Ruhr basin, a 100 ft gap was blown in one dam. Mines instead of ordinary bombs were dropped. The water swept away a vital power station just below the dam. The flood waters swept downstream, breaking down railway and road bridges and destroying or damaging electric power stations. A railway marshalling yard was under water. One of the dams breached was the biggest in Europe and below it the river is in full flood. The country here is flat and the flood is likely to spread over a large area. The commander of the British formation was one of Britain’s ace bomber pilots. He personally led the attack on one of the dams and his squadron pressed home their onslaught from a low level, coming down to 100 feet in spite of a fierce fire from the German defences. The leader returned safely. Eight bombers are missing. The crews of American raiders saw good results in their attacks on harbour installations at the German Atlantic U-boat base of Lorient and on the port and docks at Bordeaux. Enemy opposition was varied. Some American formations met large numbers of enemy fighters and others did not have any encounters. First reports indicate that a large number of enemy aircraft were destroyed. Four American heavy bombers and ten medium bombers are missing. , R.A.F., Dominion and Allied fighters in supporting operations destroyed two enemy fighters without loss. Later this afternoon American Thunderbolts made an offensive sweep over Cherbourg. SUCCESSFUL ATTACK ON CONVOY Coastal Command Beaufighters, with a fighter escort, made a successful attack on an enemy convoy off the Dutch coast. Two merchantmen were hit by torpedoes and at least three of the escort vessels were left on fire. The attacking planes suffered no loss. Venturas raided an airfield in France. Escorting Spitfires 4 shot down five enemy aircraft for the loss of one British fighter.