Bombing operations early 1945

Bombing operations early 1945

Cutting 1 describes a 1300 bomber operation on Munich and Ulm. Flight Lieutenant W Drinkell describes the lack of fighters. Captioned 'Jan 7th 1945'. Cutting 2 describes attacks on Germany and an oil refinery at Brux in Czechoslovakia. Also a chemical works at Ludwigshafen. Captioned 'Feb 1st 1945'. Cutting 3 briefly describes an attack on Harburg oil plant, captioned 'Feb 20th 1945'. Cutting 4 describes attacks on Cologne, Hamm, Muenster and Walcheren, captioned 'Mar 2nd 1945'.

1945-01-07

1945-02-01

1945-02-20

1945-03-02

Four newspaper cuttings on an album page

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SMarshallS1594781v10019

Jan 7th 1945
1,300 heavies hit Reich by night
More than 1300 Lancasters and Halifaxes were sent to Germany on Sunday night and early yesterday.
“Earthquake” bombs fell on Munich in a ten-minute blitz.
Flight-Lieutenant W. Drinkell, a pilot from Wivenhoe, Essex, said: “I saw only one fighter, and that was falling in pieces, shot down by one of our crews.”
Ulm was set afire in a second attack. Said Drinkell: “It must have been terrific. We could see fires and smoke when we were a long way from that town. Even two and a-half hours after the attack explosions were going off in the target area.”

Feb 1st 1945
Two-way Raid on Germany
Allied bombers made another two-way attack in daylight yesterday.
German Radio reported that our ‘planes were over Czechoslovakia and many areas of Germany.
Over 100 Fortresses yesterday attacked marshalling yards at Kornwestheim, north of Stuttgart. Synthetic oil targets at Brux, in Czechoslovakia, were bombed by Liberators and Fortresses of the 15th U.S. Air Force.
On Friday night Lancasters of R.A.F. Bomber Command made a heavy and concentrated attack on the chemical works at Ludwigshafen. Towards the end of the attack smoke from large fires was rising to a height of over 10,000 feet. Hanover and Osnabruck were also bombed.
Allied ‘planes appeared over Hitler’s Berchtesgaden H.Q. on Saturday, according to a Swedish report.

Feb 20 th 1945
RAF blast Hun oil plants again
Bomber Command planes were over Germany in strenght on Saturday night. Lancasters attacked the port and oil refineries of Harburg, near Hamburg, and the synthetic oil plant at Dortmund.
Mosquitoes went for objectives in Western Germany.
Seven aircraft of Bomber Command are missing.

Mar 2nd 1945
COLOGNE HIT AGAIN
MANY BIG FIRES
A strong force of Lancasters and Halifaxes of R.A.F. Bomber Command, escorted by Spitfires and Mustangs of Fighter Command made a concentrated attack on Cologne yesterday afternoon. Large fires were left burning.
After several nights when weather conditions made flying difficult, R.A.F. heavy bombers were out in strength last night.
Marshalling yards at Hamm and Muenster were attacked yesterday by 35 Flying Fortresses of the Eighth Air Force. About 200 Mustangs escorted the heavy bombers.
A strong force of Halifaxes and Lancasters of R.A.F. Bomber Command, escorted by Spitfires of Fighter Command, yesterday attacked gun emplacements on the island of Walcheren.