DAYLIGHT ATTACKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 October 1943, Page 3

DAYLIGHT ATTACKS

ON ENEMY AIRFIELDS IN FRANCE SEVEN GERMAN FIGHTERS DESTROYED. SCATTERED RAIDS ON BRITAIN. LONDON, October 24. American Marauders today attacked two German fighter airfields and a bomber airfield in France. R.A.F., Allied and Dominion Spitfires engaged enemy fighters, seven of ’which were destroyed for the loss of one plane. A Norwegian Spitfire wing shot down five of the German fighters. London had its sixth alert runninglast night, when a small force of enemy bombers came over. Some houses in the London area were damaged by bombs, but there were no casualties. Other bombs were drbpped in East Anglia and south-east England. The Germans say two bombers failed to return. SHATTERING BLOW STRUCK BY R.A.F. AT KASSEL. WELL OVER 1500 TONS OF BOMBS DROPPED. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 23. Well over 1500 tons of high explosives and incendiaries fell on Kassel last night. In two attacks this month, this city, one of Germany’s most important armaments and engineering centres, has felt the weight of 3000 tons of bombs. Towards the end of last night’s attack huge fires were burning and a great pall of smoke 18,000 feet high hung over the city. Squadrons of the R.C.A.F. bomber group took part and dropped the heaviest load yet released by the group on a German target. Australian squadrons were also engaged, and all their crews agree that the bombing was most effective. There was thick cloud along the route, but about 40 miles from the target the weather suddenly improved, and except for some thin haze it was quite clear over Kassel. Pilots said there was much flak, but it was only after the bombers had dropped their bombs and were making their way out that fighters appeared. Strings of flares began going down and enemy aircraft started laying a flarepath both' on the way in to the target and on the way out. One Halifax rear gunner told of one of the largest explosions he had ever seen, and added that when he had flown about 40 miles he saw another explosion which lit up the whole sky. Later arrivals said the Germans rushed up a strong force of fighters. A Lancaster bomb-aimer said the bombers dived through the flares to make sure of the targets, despite danger from enemy fighters above waiting for the aircraft to be illuminated. One group shot down five enemy aircraft. From this and other operations over the Ruhr, as well as mine-laying, the R.A.F. lost 44 aircraft. It is recalled that Kassel suffered at the hands of the R.A.F. earlier this year. When the Eder dam was bi’eached last May, floodwaters invaded the city. SUDDEN DISASTER MET BY NAZI FIGHTERS DESTROYED BEFORE FIRING A SHOT--(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 23. Two of a formation of four Focke-Wulf 190 s, apparently ordered up to intercept a squadron of Fighter Command Spitfires off the French coast, this morning were destroyed before they could fire a shot. The other two turned for home as soon as the Spitfires came in view. Mustangs and Typhoons carried out successful train-busting operations. The Typhoons scored hits on three out of four German destroyers off the enemy coast, and blew up a small tanker near one of the destroyers. No Allied planes were lost in these operations. A small number of enemy aircraft crossed the Kent and Sussex coasts in the early hours of last night and flew in as far as the home counties and East Anglia. Some reached the London area. Bombs were dropped at widely separated points. There ■ was slight damage and a small number of casualties. 10,000 AIRCRAFT LOST BY AXIS IN AFRICA & SOUTHERN EUROPE DURING LAST TWELVE MONTHS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 2L Since the battle of El Alamein the R.A.F. has destroyed or claimed to have destroyed 4348 German aircraft in the Mediterranean area. In addition. 2283 planes have been captured on the ground. Eighteen hundred Italian aircraft have been destroyed in combat and 1600 accounted for on the ground. Thus in 12 months in southern Europe the enemy has lost more than 10,000 aircraft.