COLOGNE BLASTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 June 1943, Page 3

COLOGNE BLASTED

SIXTH CONSECUTIVE NIGHT RAID ON NAZI WAR INDUSTRIAL AREAS. MANY DAYLIGHT ATTACKS FOLLOW. LONDON, June 17. For the sixth night running the Royal Air Force last night was over Germany. Targets were attacked at Cologne and elsewhere in the Rhineland. Heavy bomber crews reported seeing two huge explosions and many big tires among Germany’s war plants. The attack on Cologne and other Rhineland targets was closely linked up with the battle of the Ruhr. Night intruders were also out, hitting transport and other targets in Holland and Belgium. Fourteen bombers and one fighter are missing.

The R.A.F. daylight offensive across the Channel was continued today. In a series of sweeps, fighters destroyed nine German fighters for the loss of three of their own machines. Six of the enemy Focke-Wulf 190 s fell to Norwegian Spitfire pilots. Earlier, Hurricane bombers and Typhoons attacked a convoy off the Dutch coast. Three ships were damaged and one was almost certainly sunk. LOSSES ON BOTH SIDES IN FIGHTING OVER CHANNEL. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June IG. The Air Ministry states that Typhoons on offensive patrol this morning damaged several locomotives in northern France. In an engagement with enemy fighters over the Channel, Spitfires destroyed two enemy fighters. Four of our aircraft are missing, but two of the pilots are safe. It is reported that there was no daylight activity over Britain. Spitfires which were protecting a rescue aircraft which-was picking up a pilot who had been forced to bale out, today shot down two Focke-Wulf 190 s during a fierce battle. Two of the Spitfires were shot down, one of the pilots being picked up by a high speed launch. One pilot commented that the battle ranged from sea level to 4000 ft. Twenty Focke-Wulfs took part in the attack.

A number of the . new rattle bombs which German raiders dropped on an east coast town were fitted with delayed action mechanism, and some exploded today. A railway porter who was seen with three of the bombs under his arm escaped unhurt, whereas one workman was killed and one was injured when they forced a door in a damaged building and disturbed a rattle bomb.