FROM NORTH & SOUTH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 December 1943, Page 3

FROM NORTH & SOUTH

FOUR STRONG AIR ATTACKS ON GERMANY IN 24 HOURS

Escorted American Bombers Blast Innsbruck and Augsburg

AT LEAST 47 ENEMY FIGHTERS SHOT DOWN

LATER ONSLAUGHTS FROM BASES IN BRITAIN

LONDON, December 20. At least four times in 24 hours targets in Germany and Occupied Europe have been bombed by strong forces of American aircraft, flying in from the north and the south. An air communique from Middle East headquarters reports that American heavy bombers again raided Innsbruck, the Austrian railway junction, and also the town of Augsburg, in Bavaria, 40 miles north-west of Munich, the home of a Messerschmitt factory. Augsburg is an important industrial centre tucked away where. Hitler thought it would be fairly safe. Waves of German fighters came up over both targets and attacked the Fortresses and Liberators persistently. They paid a heavy price. Forty-seven were brought down for certain and another 22 probably destroyed. The American bombers had a fighter escort on both raids. Both attacks were well pressed home and at Innsbruck particularly the objectives were quickly plastered with bombs. Eleven bombers were lost in the two raids but it is believed that some landed in friendly territory. The Germans say that American heavy bombers attacked German territory at noon yesterday from the south. The German news agency reports that the j bombers flew in from the Adriatic Sea in bad visibility. Strong formations of German fighter and pursuit planes engaged them over northern Italy, the Alps and southern Germany, and fierce air battles ensued, particularly at great heights over the Dolomites. This morning a force of American heavy bombers and fighters headed out from Britain to attack targets in Western Germany. No details have yet come in. . About the same time, American medium bombers were over Northern France. They were escorted by R.A.F., Dominion and Allied fighters. This evening a number of enemy radio stations in Germany and France were off the air.