WELL ADVANCED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 June 1943, Page 4

WELL ADVANCED

DEVASTATION OF RUHR

PRINCIPAL CENTRES ALREADY SHATTERED. THREE CITIES AWAITING ATTENTION. (By Telegraph—Pi-ess Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.50 a.m.) LONDON, June 23. The R.A.F. Bomber Command’s task in the Ruhr is almost complete, says the British United Press aviation commentator. Last night’s raid on Mulheim leaves only such isolated Ruhr towns as Gelsenkirchen, Hamborn and Herne univisited by a force of R.A.F. bombers which the Air Ministry estimates to be large enough to wipe out a town of 200,000 inhabi-

tants in one night. Gelsenkirchen is a steel and chemical town with a population of just over 200,000. Herne is a coal and chemical town with a population of 70,000 and Hamborn, north of Duisberg, is still smaller.

The major production centres of the Ruhr in the past thirty days have been laid waste in fulfilment of Mr Churchill's promise that the bombing weapon would be used to the full. Dortmund, Essen, Wuppertal, Bochum, Oberhausen, Krefeld and Mulheim have all been devastated in smashing raids. These towns, with Gelsenkirchen, Hamborn and Herne, are the Ruhr. Once they have been obliterated, there will be nothing of major importance left. The blows against the Ruhr are falling so fast that the Germans have not a chance to rebuild and repair their shattered cities and factories. At a conservative estimate, the Battle of the Ruhr is more than half over.

The raid against Mulheim last night was the climax of a month in which 10,000 tons of bombs have been dropped. As well as raids against the Ruhr, the Bomber Command, in the same period, carried out heavy raids against Dusseldorf, Munster, Cologne, Friedrichshafen and Le Creusot. The Berlin radio tonight declared that: “What the populations of Oberhausen, Mulheim, the Rhine and the Ruhr have endured is unbelievable. In the past 48 hours anti-aircraft batteries and fighter stations have been incessantly on the alert.” Today’s German communique states: “British and American air forces, in daylight and on the night of June 22. carried out several heavy attacks against towns in Western Germany and occupied territories. Substantial damage was caused, particularly in residential areas. In Oberhausen and Mulheim the population suffered considerable casualties.” The Allied air offensive against Europe was continued today, when many planes were observed crossing the Channel Within a few minutes, bombs were heard crashing down. The attack appeared to be particularly fierce and continuous. Great flashes and gigantic red glows lit the European sky, suggesting that many fires had been started.

STILL BURNING FIRES LIT IN KREFELD BY BOMBERS. TREMENDOUS BLAZE IN MULHEIM. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) RUGBY, June 23. Bomber crews, on their way to Mulheim last night, passed Krefeld and saw fires there still burning. Night photographs of Krefeld taken after the attacks show conclusively that the bombing was highly concentrated. The attack on Mulheim was only slightly less

heavy than that on Krefeld. The bombers were met by hundreds of searchlights massed in cones and gunfire as hot as anything they have ever experienced.

The cloud was not sufficient to hide Mulheim and many fires were started and soon amalgamated into flames and smoke rising hundreds of feet. All are convinced that the attack' went well. En route, many night fighters were seen and four of them were destroyed. Photographs of Buel and of the motor factories in Antwerp attacked by American bombers, show that extensive damage was done. Highly combustible portions of the Buel rubber factory exploded and were set on fire, and in the Belgium raid bursts were scored on the Ford Motors plant, the adjacent General Motors factory and on dockside warehouses.

R.A.F. bombers and fighters crossed the Channel to Northern France in the early part of this evening and strong forces of American bombers were twice observed from Folkestone.