RAF Raids Given New "Punch"
Title
RAF Raids Given New "Punch"
Description
A newspaper article discussing new precision bombing. It is annotated 'No 8 23/8/43'.
Temporal Coverage
Language
Type
Format
One newspaper cutting
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
SWilliamsonF1311249v10003-0012
Transcription
[inserted] No 8 23/8/43 [/inserted]
RAF RAIDS GIVEN NEW “PUNCH”
By WING.COMMANDER CHARLES BRAY.
“Daily Herald” Air Correspondent
A HIGHLY significant and important development of our bombing policy is taking place.
Instead of concentrating on German industrial cities we are now striking at individual factories in such strength as to make a second visit unnecessary.
Peenemunde was a case in point. It was followed on Sunday night by a heavy attack – probably something in the region of 500 aircraft – on the big chemical works at Leverkusen, near Cologne.
[symbol]
This factory has not had a concentrated raid before, and it was unfortunate that weather conditions were far from favourable for this serious attempt to wipe out the works.
Even so, it is estimated that immense damage was done by the mass precision bombing which is our new policy.
There were a few gaps in the clouds which enabled our bombers to see their target and release their bombs. The clouds also provided admirable cover, probably the reason for the exceptionally low losses of five aircraft on a major raid over one of the heaviest defended localities of Germany.
Plenty of night fighters were encountered, two of them being destroyed in the numerous combats that ensued.
[symbol]
It is very satisfactory that the strength of our bomber force is such that we can now turn to individual factories or other military targets instead of concentrating on large towns.
The size of the force depends on the target selected, but it will be noted that in every case sufficient bombers are sent to do the maximum amount of damage.
The Leverkusen factory had before the war the biggest electric sign in the world. Two 400ft. chimneys of the German Dye Trust works, nearly 200ft. apart supported a massive metallic circle containing the name in 40 feet letters of the Dye Trust founder, Dr. Bayer, spelt vertically and horizontally to form a cross.
Dr Ley, Germany’s labour chief and bitter enemy of Great Britain, was formerly an employee in this factory.
RAF RAIDS GIVEN NEW “PUNCH”
By WING.COMMANDER CHARLES BRAY.
“Daily Herald” Air Correspondent
A HIGHLY significant and important development of our bombing policy is taking place.
Instead of concentrating on German industrial cities we are now striking at individual factories in such strength as to make a second visit unnecessary.
Peenemunde was a case in point. It was followed on Sunday night by a heavy attack – probably something in the region of 500 aircraft – on the big chemical works at Leverkusen, near Cologne.
[symbol]
This factory has not had a concentrated raid before, and it was unfortunate that weather conditions were far from favourable for this serious attempt to wipe out the works.
Even so, it is estimated that immense damage was done by the mass precision bombing which is our new policy.
There were a few gaps in the clouds which enabled our bombers to see their target and release their bombs. The clouds also provided admirable cover, probably the reason for the exceptionally low losses of five aircraft on a major raid over one of the heaviest defended localities of Germany.
Plenty of night fighters were encountered, two of them being destroyed in the numerous combats that ensued.
[symbol]
It is very satisfactory that the strength of our bomber force is such that we can now turn to individual factories or other military targets instead of concentrating on large towns.
The size of the force depends on the target selected, but it will be noted that in every case sufficient bombers are sent to do the maximum amount of damage.
The Leverkusen factory had before the war the biggest electric sign in the world. Two 400ft. chimneys of the German Dye Trust works, nearly 200ft. apart supported a massive metallic circle containing the name in 40 feet letters of the Dye Trust founder, Dr. Bayer, spelt vertically and horizontally to form a cross.
Dr Ley, Germany’s labour chief and bitter enemy of Great Britain, was formerly an employee in this factory.
Collection
Citation
“RAF Raids Given New "Punch",” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/38140.
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