TARGETS IN MILAN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 August 1943, Page 4

TARGETS IN MILAN

BREDA ARMAMENT WORKS WITH OTHER WAR INDUSTRIES & RAILWAYS. BOMBING IN BRIGHT MOONLIGHT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.10 a.m.) RUGBY, August 15. Over Milan last night, aircraft of the Bomber Command—all Lancasters—divided and made two separate, though simultaneous, attacks. One was on the Breda Armament Works, the Italian equivalent of Krupps, in the San Giovanni district, on the outskirts of the town. The huge factory was bombed in bright moonlight and in clear weather. The rest of the force followed up the attack of two nights before, when over 1,000 tons of bombs were dropped on industries and railways nearer the centre of the town.

The whole operation was another of the Bomber Command's ultra-rapid attacks at long range. After flying over 800 miles, all the crews kept their appointment so punctually that the whole bomb load was down on the two targets in 22 minutes. Sticks of heavy bombs went right across the Breda Works—which were defended by heavy guns round the area and light flak in the factory itself —and big fires soon got going. Very early in the attack it looked as though an oil tank had caught fire. Like Krupps, the Breda Works produces locomotives and rolling stock, as well as arms. Bombs, shells, machine-guns, aircraft components, armoured fighting vehicles, electrical machinery, boilers, steel stampings and forgings are among its products.

Crews attacking the industrial areas nearer the centre of Milan saw flares directly over the Breda Works and fires below the flares. Their own attack developed very quickly. In a few minutes, smoke from large and well-concentrated fires had risen 6,000 feet. The defences, though by no means up to the German standard, were slightly stronger than two nights before.

Fires were still burning in Milan yesterday when reconnaissance aircraft were over the city. From a first inspection of the air photographs taken it is already known that many very important war factories were hit in the thousand ton attack on August 12. The Isotta, Franchini and Innocenti aeroengine works were damaged and there was particularly severe damage at the Alfa-Romeo aero engine works. Other damaged plants include the Vianercese steel foundry, making steel turrets and shells; the Bianchi Car and Lorry works and several metal works. There was new damage at The central railway station and at the Porta Nuova station.

FATE OF HAMBURG

SUFFERED BY ITALIAN CITY.

STREET CROWD CLAMOURS FOR PEACE. (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) LONDON, August 15. Milan, according to reports from Italy, has met the fate of Hamburg as a result of last night’s raid. A British United Press correspondent on the Italian frontier says no quarter of the city, with the exception of the Porta Ticino area, remains intact. A crowd this morning, despite the arrival of troops, clamoured for peace in the streets of the cty. The correspondent says that, following the raid, British parachutists were observed near Como, 20 miles north of Milan. Two parachutists, who were armed with automatic weapons and explosives, were captured riding bicycles. The Rome radio said the raid last night was mainly directed against south-west Milan. Monuments and residential areas were hit and the right wing of the palace was set on fire. Today’s Italian communique states that numerous buildings collapsed and many fires were started. The Allies also bombed various localities in the Catanzaro area.