BOMBING EFFECTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 June 1943, Page 4

BOMBING EFFECTS

OPEN ADMISSIONS MADE

IN GERMANY

UTTER POVERTY IN STRICKEN REGIONS. PEOPLE IN BITTER NEED. (By Telegraph—Frets Association—Copyright) (Received This Day 10.10 a.m.) LONDON, June 20. The fruits of Geobbels’s new policy of publicising raid effects is seen in German newspapers reaching Sweden. The “Frankfurter Zeitung” says: “Utter poverty exists in the bombed regions. Thousands have only the clothes they are wearing. More shops must be opened to which the homeless can go. Above all more food shops are needed. The evacuees can buy nothing in many of the towns. This must be changed. The evacuees have a right to buy more than others. Holiday resorts are insufficient for hospitals. More evacuees must be sent to towns and villages. Others must go to occupied zones m the east.”

TARGET WELL LIGHTED

ATTACK ON CREUSOT WORKS.

REPORTS BY PILOTS & OTHERS

(British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 10.55 a.m.) RUGBY, June 20. Brilliant moonlight replaced clouds

soon after R.A.F. bombers —all four-

engined—took off last night on the long journey to the Schneider armament works at Le Creusot, 320 miles from the nearest point on the English coast. Early arrivals had no difficulty in picking out landmarks—roads, stretches of water, and finally the tall factory buildings themselves. When flares went down, identification became even easier. The whole target —the Schneider works cover an area of 270 acres —was brilliantly lit by moonlight and flares. It is known that the Germans had been busily repairing all the large buildings damaged in previous attacks and it was expected that they would make strenuous efforts to defend this vital armaments centre from further devastation. Only light flak greeted the bombers and although conditions were ideal for night fighters, hardly any were seen. The crews who bombed the power station at Mont Chanin, about five miles from Leu Creusot, had much the same expertence. This station is one of the new points in the French grid system. It supplies the Schneider works with nearly all their power and its destruction would have a profound effect on the electrical system throughout SouthWest France. Yet there were only a few guns to fire at the bombers when they arrived. The rear-gunner of a Halifax—an American from Chicago—said: “We arrived right at the beginning and got a fine view. Flares were doing down and I could see two long sheds in the works. Two holes suddenly appeared in the roofs. , Smoke poured up from the roles . As we turned for home, three minutes after the attack started, I saw great clouds of white smoke coming up from the works.” The pilot of a Lancaster said: “As we came out of the target area, a huge explosion was followed soon afterwards by another.” Crews reported that a third explosion occurred as the attack came to an end. There was a flash of flame and smoke billowed to about 3,000 feet.

The Paris radio stated that extremely large fires started as a result of the air attack against Le Creusot last night.