CONTINUED POUNDING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 June 1943, Page 3

CONTINUED POUNDING

OF WEST AND NORTH-WEST GERMANY R.A.F. Attacks on Eight Nights Running BOCHUM-GELSENKIRCHEN AREA HEAVILY BOMBED . NEW ENEMY DEFENSIVE TACTICS LONDON, June 27. / Last night, the air raid sirens in Germany sounded again, on the eighth night running, when the R.A.F. attacked targets in Western and North-Western Germany. Mines were also laid in enemy waters. One bomber is missing. R.A.F. fighters flew out over the Channel this evening in the direction of France. Earlier in the day in sweeps over Northern France, Spitfires shot down two Messerschmitt 109’s and one Focke-Wulf, without loss, in the area of St. Omer. One enemy plane was destroyed by a New Zealand squadron leader. A British Official Wireless message on Saturday stated that the R.A.F. finished a week’s continuous night bombing with yet another attack in the Ruhr area, the fourth in five nights. The objective was the Bochum-Gelsenkirchen district, which lies in the heart of the Ruhr, and the defences of Essen, Duisburg, Krefeld, Mulheim and Oberhausen, the towns which had been heavily bombed in recent attacks, went into action. The Allied air offensive is so devastating that the German housing director, Dr. Robert Ley, has ordered the evacuation from Western Germany of all superfluous population. The order includes women and children, veteran workers, invalids, and aged and infirm people.

MANY RUNNING FIGHTS An intense barrage came up to meet the R.A.F., but the huge searchlight, belt of the Ruhr was handicapped because of clouds, and different tactics from that used in recent raids had to be employed. Instead of trying to cone the bombers, the Germans directed their searchlights to the base of the cloud so that the bombers would be clearly silhouetted and picked up by their fighters. There were running fights all along the route from the Belgian coast through the Ruhr and back again. In spite of the cloud, the night never became very dark, but enemy fighters were no more successful in stopping the bombers than on the previous night, and the clouds 'over the target were soon glowing from fires. Bochum and Glesenkirchen have each a population of about 300,000, and many coalmines. Bochum is the centre of the most prolific part of the Ruhr coal basin, and Gelsenkirchen is the chief steam coal-mining centre. Both have many important factories. There is a big steel industry at Bochum, and Glesenkirchen also produces steel and has two of the largest synthetic oil plants in the Reich. Some of the most important railway communications pass through the district. According to the Director of the United States Office of War Information, Mr Elmer Davis, more than 1000 fighter planes and 30,000 anti-aircraft guns have been assembled in the Ruhr and Allied losses this week have been heavy. They amounted to 173 bombers, of which 38 were American, and the loss of about 1500 highly-trained men. The Germans probably lost a good many more aircraft in the week. Major-General Davenport Johnston, commander of the Second United States Air Force, stated at Washington: “The Germans have thrown everything they have against the American heavy bombers, but are unable to inflict critical losses.” American losses in the European theatre have been approximately 6 per cent., which is not too heavy. General Johnson added: "If we can stay under 10 per cent., we can take it.” CROWDED WORK ALLIED AIRCRAFT SOMETIMES HIT. BY BOMBS FROM CONSORT PLANES. (Special P.A. Correspondent.) LONDON, June 26. The concentration of bombers over targets in Germany is frequently so heavy that aircraft are sometimes hit by a bomb from aircraft over them. This happened twice to K. Smith, D.F.M., Auckland, who was recently promoted pilot officer. He has carried out 31 raids in Stirlings, and is now an instructor. While over Wilhelmshaven, an incendiary hit the oil-tank of the port inner motor and set it on fire. Smith feathered the motor and dived, putting out the flames. Another time an incentiary went clean through a wing, leaving a' neat hole, but causing no damage. Smith has raided Berlin and Turin, and “all the towns in the Ruhr except Dusseldorf.’’ He was awarded the D.F.M. in April.