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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'8 GOVERNMENT

S E C R E T Copy N o . t i i i

W j P . ( 4 4 ) 5 (Also C:0:S. (44) 3) Qth January, 1944 /

WAR CABINET

WEEKLY RESUME (No. 227)

of the "NAVAL, MILITARY AND AIR SITUATION

from 0700 30th December, 1943, to 0700 6th January,

1944

-[Circulated with the approva l of the Chiefs of Staff.]

Cabinet War Room.

N A V A L S I T U A T I O N . General Review.

1. Two, possibly three , homeward-bound b lockade- runners have been sunk. U .S . ca r r ie r -borne a i r c r a f t have successfully a t tacked J a p a n e s e w a r s h i p s . a t

K a v i e n g in New I r e l and . S h i p p i n g losses have been l ight .

Home Waters .

2. A convoy of 21 ships from N o r t h Russ ia , escorted by des t royers , h a s a r r i v e d in H o m e W a t e r s .

H . M . S . Duke of York and the cru isers wh ich were in act ion a g a i n s t t he Scharnhorst have r e t u r n e d to the i r home base.

E a r l y on the 6 th one of ELM. t r awle r s was sunk d u r i n g a n a t t a ck by E-boats on a coastal convoy off the L i z a r d .

On the 31st ELM. destroyers Vivacious a n d Keppel were d a m a g e d in collision off the H u m b e r .

Norwegian Waters . 3. ELM. S / M Seadog a t t acked a l a rge ship in convoy, no r th of S t ad l ande t ,

on the 28th December, and another convoy of t h ree laden sh ips in the same a r ea on the 2nd J a n u a r y . A f t e r the l a t t e r a t t a c k only two sh ips were seen.

North Atlant ic . 4. I t is now known t h a t one Narvik and two Elbing class des t royers were

sunk by ELM. cruisers Glasgoiv a n d Enterprise on the 28 th December. On the*31st December, H A L S . Seaham, (minesweeper) picked u p five G e r m a n

officers a n d 57 r a t i n g s who were survivors of the recent act ion i n the Bay of Biscay. On the same day the E i r e a n n s.s. Kerlogue (335 tons), on pa s sage f rom Lisbon to F i s h g u a r d , p icked u p a fu r the r 164 survivors , who were l a n d e d a t Cork on the fol lowing day. On the 2nd, two S p a n i s h dest royers r e t u r n e d to F e r r o l w i t h four more survivors . .

Mediterranean. 5. On the n i g h t of the 2 9 t h / 3 0 t h December, U . S . M.T .Bs . damaged a t r aw le r

a n d torpedoed a sh ip in the Gulf of Genoa. On the 31st, H . M . S . Clacton (fleet minesweeper) was mined a n d sunk between M a d d a l e n a a n d Bas t i a . T h e r e w e r e 47 survivors, inc lud ing the cap ta in .

6. On the n i g h t of the 3 0 t h / 3 1 s t December, H . M . dest royers Teazer a n d Penn damaged a schooner by gunfire and drove i t ashore between Benedet to a n d Ancona . H . M . des t royers bombarded Fesa ro (nor th-west of Ancona) on t h e n i g h t of t h e 3 r d / 4 t h .

7. A t the west coast po r t s of I t a ly , d u r i n g the week e n d i n g the 16th December, 103,341 tons of stores were d ischarged, a n d a t the eas t coast p o r t s 63,060 tons.

By the 28 th December, p o r t d ischarges a t B a r i h a d been s t epped u p to the level a t t a i n e d before serious damage w a s done by the enemy a i r r a i d ear ly in December.

8. The J u g o - S l a v P a r t i s a n H e a d q u a r t e r s r epo r t t h a t 2,000 p a r t i s a n s a n d 5,000 civi l ians were successfully evacua ted from Korcu l a I s l a n d by the 27 th December. I n a d d i t i o n 600 refugees a n d 250 wounded reached South I t a l y on the same day. -

Levant.

9. H . M . S / M Sportsman sank a ca ique on the 21st December a n d on the 23 rd probably sank a 5,000-ton sh ip off Lemnos . On the 26 th H . M . S / M Sickle s ank two caiques in the ^Egean.

The Swedish Relief sh ip Camelia (1,688 tons) was damaged by an explosion a n d beached a t Sa lon ika on the 29 th December.

Twen ty - th ree Al l i ed personnel have recent ly been evacuated f rom Greece by caiques .

South At lant ic . 10. On the 3rd, the G e r m a n s.s. Weserland (6,528 tons), a blockade -runner

h o m e w a r d bound f rom the F a r E a s t , w a s in te rcep ted and sunk by the U.S .S . Somers (destroyer) 600 miles south-west of Ascens ion I s l and . One h u n d r e d and t h i r t y ­four survivors , i nc lud ing ten officers, were t a k e n p r i sone r . On the fol lowing day ano the r homeward -bound blockade runne r , t h e s.s. Burgenland (7,320 tons), w a s sunk by the U .S .S . Omaha (cruiser) a n d the U . S . S . Jouett (destroyer) 670 miles west of Ascension I s l and . On the 5th , i t w a s r e p o r t e d t h a t a t h i r d blockade­runne r , t h e s.S". Rio Grande (6,062 tons), also h o m e w a r d bound, was s u n k by U . S . forces in the same locality. S ix enemy sh ips a re known to have been in the F a r E a s t and m i g h t be a t t e m p t i n g to run the blockade on the i r way home.

Indian Ocean. 11. On the 17th December a n explosion occurred in a bomb d u m p a t t he

R . N . A i r S ta t ion , K a t u r k u r u n d a (Ceylon). T h e r e were no casua l t ies to personnel b u t extens ive d a m a g e was done to t h e bu i l d ings i n the a rea .

Pacific. Solomons.

12. On the 29 th December, A l l i ed M.T .Bs . s ank two ba rges a n d drove th ree ashore off t he south-eas t coast of Bouga inv i l l e . On t h e 31st, A l l i ed gunboa t s a n d p a t r o l c r a f t bombarded enemy coasta l pos i t ions n e a r T o r o k i n a (Bougainvi l le) a n d des t royed a b r i dge on the m a i n B u i n road .

New Guinea. 13. On the n i g h t of the 2nd , Al l i ed l i g h t c r a f t s ank four l aden barges , one

of wh ich w a s full of t roops , n e a r Sio.

New Ireland. 14. On the 1st, U . S . ca r r i e r -borne a i r c r a f t a t t a c k e d a force of two heavy

c ru i se r s a n d two des t royers about to en t e r K a v i e n g ha rbour . Bo th c ru ise rs were ser iously d a m a g e d iand a r e believed to have sunk or r u n ashore . One des t royer w a s probably sunk a n d t h e o the r ser iously damaged . T h i r t e e n enemy a i r c r a f t we re des t royed for the loss of two fighters a n d one bomber.

Anti-Submarine Operations. 15. Twen ty - s ix a t t a c k s on U-boa t s have been r epor t ed , t en of w h i c h w e r e

by shore-based a i r c r a f t , one by ca r r i e r -bo rne a i r c r a f t a n d 15 by surface c ra f t . T h e U . S . des t royers Parrott a n d Bulmer p robably sank a U-boa t n o r t h - e a s t

of the Azores , a n d a i r c r a f t f rom t h e U . S . S . Core w i t h two U . S . des t royers p robably d a m a g e d a n o t h e r wes t of Gape F i n i s t e r r e . A i r c r a f t possibly d a m a g e d t w o U-boa t s in the B a y of Biscay a n d a n o t h e r in the S.W. A p p r o a c h e s .

16. D u r i n g December 64 a t t a c k s on U - b o a t s were made , of which 27 were by shore-based a i r c r a f t , t h r ee by ca r r i e r -bo rne a i r c r a f t a n d the r e m a i n d e r by sur face craf t . S ix G e r m a n U-boa t s were sunk, two possibly sunk a n d one d a m a g e d .

Enemy Intelligence. 17. The mora le of surv ivors from t h e Sckarnhorst ha s been found on

e x a m i n a t i o n to be excel lent . I t is r epor t ed t h a t some nava l e s t ab l i shment s have been t r a n s f e r r e d f rom

K i e l to J u t l a n d as a resu l t of a i r r a i d s .

U-boats. 18. A l a rge g r o u p of U-boa t s is o p e r a t i n g in m i d - A t l a n t i c no r th -wes t of

I r e l a n d (R), a n d a smaller concen t ra t ion is r epo r t ed west of C a p e F i n i s t e r r e . I n the I n d i a n Ocean J a p a n e s e U-b oa t s a re o p e r a t i n g in the e n t r a n c e of t h e

Gulf of Oman, in the Gulf of A d e n , off Bombay a n d be tween the coast of S.W. I n d i a a n d the Mald ives .

[26683] B

Enemy Attack on Shipping. 19. D u r i n g the week U-boa ts are repor ted to have a t t acked three ships , one

of which is known to have sunk. A s t r agg le r from an ou tward-bound convoy was sunk south of I ce land (C) a f te r hav ing been torpedoed twice. T h i s is t h e first t ime since the end of October t h a t a sh ip has been torpedoed in the N . W . Approaches . A t anke r on passage to A b a d a n was torpedoed in t h e Gu l f of Oman but . reached por t , and a U . S . sh ip was torpedoed a n d abandoned no r th ­west of B e r m u d a .

The s.s. Largs Bay (14,182 tons) was mined in t h e Bay of Nap les and subsequently beached. Three ships in an eas tbound coasta l convoy were sunk by E-boats off the L i z a r d .

20. A provis ional figure for s h i p p i n g losses from enemy act ion d u r i n g December is 154,000 tons.

Protection of Seaborne Trade. 21. D u r i n g the week end ing the 2nd, 807 sh ips in convoy a r r ived a t the i r

des t ina t ions . Of these, 280 sh ips were in ocean convoys a n d 527 in B r i t i s h coastal convoys. Three escort ca r r i e r s , one a n t i - a i r c r a f t ship , 45 des t royers a n d 113 sloops, cut ters , f r iga tes and corvettes ( inc lud ing 18 U .S . des t royer escorts), were employed on escort dut ies . F o u r home-bound ocean convoys, cons is t ing of 124 ships, and five ou tward -bound convoys, of 156 ships , a r r i ved a t the i r des t ina t ions wi thou t loss.

Allied Minelaying. ­22. A i r c r a f t l a id mines off the D u t c h coast, off the' no r th coast of F r a n c e

and the Biscay por t s .

Enemy Minelaying, All ied Minesweeping. 23." There haAre been no repor t s of mine lay ing by e i ther a i r c r a f t or su r face

c ra f t d u r i n g the week. The clearance of a r o u n d mines in the P o r t s m o u t h E a s t e r n A p p r o a c h e s w a s

o JL .1.

completed on the 31st. The mine to ta l s a re : 4,6.15 g round a n d 3,934 moored.

Enemy Merchant Shipping. 24. P h o t o g r a p h s recently t aken of the b lockade- runner Osomo (6,951 tons),

which has a r r i ved from the F a r E a s t a n d which is a g r o u n d a t L e Verdon , show the impor tance which the enemy a t taches to her cargo. T h r e e escort vessels, four minesweepers a n d a sper rbrecher have been s ta t ioned to seaward of her , a n d for he r fu r the r pro tec t ion th ree heavy r a i l w a y a n t i - a i r c r a f t g u n s a n d some l igh t guns have a r r ived on the r a i l w a y s id ings .

A number of F i n n i s h sh ips recent ly employed by the G e r m a n s a long the N o r w e g i a n coast have been recalled by the F i n n s on the e x p i r a t i o n of the i r char te r s .

Two G e r m a n motor l igh te rs , l aden w i t h coal, were expected to leave the Dardane l l e s en route for Sa lonika on the 5 th . T w o s imi la r barges were expected to follow. A convoy of cargo ships f rom the Pi raeus reached Leros on the 1st.

Spanish Intelligence. 25. On the 29th December two bombs exploded on the hu l l of the I t a l i a n

s.s. Lavoro (7,886 tons) a t Ca r t agena , a n d on the 31st, two bombs exploded in the B r i t i s h s.s. Harlesden (7,273 tons) a t Valenc ia . On the 1st a n d 2nd J a n u a r y s imilar , though ineffective, explosions occur red in the cargo of t w o B r i t i s h sh ips which h a d jo ined a homebound convoy from G i b r a l t a r .

M I L I T A R Y S I T U A T I O N .

Russo-Cerman Campaign. (An out l ine m a p is included as an inset.)

Revel-Vitebsk Sector. 26. The R u s s i a n s have made some progress west of Vel ik ie L u k i a n d n o r t h

of Nevei. South of Vi tebsk they have cut the r o a d V i t e b s k - O r s h a , wh ich r u n s

j u s t eas t of the r a i lway . They a re therefore c los ing in on Vi t ebsk f rom th ree sides. T h e G e r m a n s c l a im to have repu l sed s t rong local a t t acks by the R u s s i a n s on the 2nd J a n u a r j ^ in th i s a rea .

Kiev Sector. 27. T h e Russ ian offensive in t h i s sector h a s con t inued to make excellent

p rogress both w e s t w a r d s and sou th -wes twards . I n t h e i r t h r u s t w e s t w a r d s they c a p t u r e d Koros ten on the 29th December a n d Z h i t o m i r two days la ter , a n d t h e i r advance h a s now con t inued beyond Novograd Volynsk. T h e south-wester ly t h r u s t , which resu l ted in the c a p t u r e of K a z a t i n on t h e 30th December, a p p e a r s to be d i rec ted t o w a r d s Z h m e r i n k a . T h e c a p t u r e of t h i s p lace would cut the m a i n r a i l communica t ions f rom G e r m a n y to t h e S o u t h e r n Dn iepe r a n d would be a g r a v e t h r e a t to all the G e r m a n forces in the D n i e p e r Bend. T h e G e r m a n s are therefore l ikely to make every effort to p r even t the R u s s i a n s f rom r e a c h i n g Z h m e r i n k a . F u r t h e r eas t t he R u s s i a n s on the 4 th J a n u a r y c a p t u r e d Byelaya Tserkov, 20 miles S.S.E. of Fas tov .

Dnieper Bend. 28. T h e R u s s i a n s have m a d e some progress wes t of Zaporozhe and have

con t inued the i r a t t a c k s a g a i n s t the Nikopol b r idgehead , b u t w i t h no pos i t ional change .

Italy. 29. W e a t h e r condi t ions over the ba t t l e f ron t have become even more severe

d u r i n g the p a s t week. On the A d r i a t i c coast ga les a n d s torms have been r a g i n g . F a r t h e r i n l and heavy falls of snow a n d in tense cold have slowed u p ope ra t ions a n d m a d e the m a i n t e n a n c e of f o r w a r d t roops a m a t t e r of considerable difficulty.

Eighth Army. 30. O n the A d r i a t i c coast sector C a n a d i a n t roops a re h o l d i n g . pos i t ions

some 2 miles N . W . of Or tona , h a v i n g fought off one or two heavy coun te r -a t t acks . T o the i r i m m e d i a t e sou th a n I n d i a n d iv is ion h a s m a d e a l i t t le p rogress t o w a r d s Tollo.

I n the Orsona a r ea the G e r m a n s s t i l l hold a s t r ong defensive pos i t i on ; here a n d over the whole coasta l sector they a re fighting s tubborn defensive ac t ions and only fa l l ing back u n d e r the s t ronges t p ressure .

Fifth Army. 31. F r e n c h a n d U . S . forces have m a d e slow p rogress in the m o u n t a i n s

t o w a r d s M t . M a r e , A c q u a f o n d a t a a n d S. V i t t o r e . S t r o n g U . S . fighting p a t r o l s have been p r o b i n g the enemy defences ou ts ide S. V i t t o r e . By the 5 th J a n u a r y one company w a s fighting in the t o w n w i t h a n o t h e r a t t a c k i n g f rom the south. P r o g r e s s is slow, w i t h the enemy p u t t i n g u p s t r o n g defensive fire f rom m a n y houses t h a t they have conver ted in to pi l lboxes.

The re has been renewed ac t iv i ty a long the R . G a r i g l i a n o . On the n i g h t of t h e 2 9 t h / 3 0 t h December a C o m m a n d o m a d e a n a s sau l t l a n d i n g beyond the m o u t h of the r ive r a n d des t royed a b r i dge on the coas ta l road . They were s u p p o r t e d by one of our i n f a n t r y b r igades , w h i c h a t t a c k e d across the r iver t o w a r d s the same b r idge a n d effectively engaged enemy pos i t ions .

F u r t h e r local a t t a c k s have t aken place a long t h e r iver in the a reas t o the S.E. of Cas te l fo r te a n d San Ambrog io .

Yugoslavia . 32. M a c e d o n i a n P a r t i s a n s have clashed w i t h B u l g a r i a n f ron t i e r t r o o p s ;

some of those c a p t u r e d jo ined the P a r t i s a n s . T h e fighting r o u n d L ivno has d ied down, a n d the G e r m a n s a p p e a r to have

abandoned the effort to p e n e t r a t e f u r t h e r n o r t h i n to P a r t i s a n - h e l d t e r r i t o r y . The G e r m a n s have c a p t u r e d M l j e t I s l a n d a n d f u r t h e r ope ra t ions a g a i n s t the

i s lands off t he D a l m a t i a n coast a re probable . I n the a r ea eas t of F i u m e the P a r t i s a n s have c a p t u r e d p o i n t s on the m a i n

F i u m e - Z a g r e b r a i lway , t hus l i n k i n g the P a r t i s a n a reas of Slovenia w i t h those of C r o a t i a .

I n the Slovenian towns of Kocevje and Novo Mes to the G e r m a n g a r r i s o n s a re cu t off by t h e P a r t i s a n forces. F u r t h e r eas t , i n C e n t r a l Bosnia , a P a r t i s a n r a i d i n g force h a s p e n e t r a t e d in to the i m p o r t a n t t o w n of B a n j a l u k a .

The P a r t i s a n s have con t inued sabotage a g a i n s t Axis -cont ro l led r a i l w a y lines. [26683] .3 2

Greece. 33. E .L .A.S . forces have been engaged in heavy fighting a g a i n s t the

Germans in Macedonia and in the Olympus area , a n d sabotage to G e r m a n L . of C , has been resumed in th i s region.

New Guinea. 34. The Aus t r a l i an s , in the i r advance along the coast no r th of F inschhafen ,

have reached a po in t about 35 miles N . W . of the town. On the 2nd J a n u a r y , U . S . t roops l anded w i thou t oppos i t ion a t Saidor , on the

n o r t h coast of New Guinea , thus c u t t i n g off from the i r m a i n base a t M a d a n g a J a p a n e s e force es t imated a t about 4,000.

I n the E a m u Val ley A u s t r a l i a n t roops have cap tu red a command ing h i l l f ea tu re some 40 miles south of M a d a n g .

New Britain. 35. The U .S . forces which landed a t Cape Gloucester h a d by the

30th December c ap tu red the airfields and en la rged the i r beach-heads. A t A r a w e there has been p a t r o l ac t iv i ty only.

A I R S I T U A T I O N . General Review.

36. U . S . heavy bombers a t t acked Ludwigsha fen , Kiel a n d M u n s t e r a n d t a r g e t s in F rance .

Bomber Command o p e r a t e d in s t r e n g t h aga ins t Ber l in (twice) a n d S te t t in . A heavy scale of a t t ack was m a i n t a i n e d aga in s t m i l i t a r y objectives in

N o r t h e r n F rance . I n I t a ly , r a i lway centres were bombed; fighter-bombers p rov ided s u p p o r t for

the A r m y in the ba t t le a rea . I n opera t ions over N e w B r i t a i n , 83 enemy a i r c r a f t were destroyed.

United Kingdom. 37. I n day l igh t no enemy a i r c ra f t were r epo r t ed over th i s count ry . On

th ree n igh t s a to ta l of 43 enemy a i r c r a f t ope ra ted over the H o m e a n d South-E a s t e r n Count ies , and 10 of these p e n e t r a t e d to the London area . Six enemy a i r c r a f t were shot down, inc lud ing one by A A . fire.

Home Waters. 38. The only a t t ack on enemy s h i p p i n g was m a d e by escorted R . P . Typhoons

which damaged a sh ip off Boulogne. A i r c r a f t of Bomber Command, of which 100 were despatched, la id 308 sea­

mines in enemy wate r s .

Germany and Occupied Territory. Day.

39. U . S . heavy bombers opera ted on four days of the week, as follows :—

Attacked Aircraft Date. Target. Despatched. Primary Tonnage. E,esults. Target.

30th

31st

...

...

Ludwigshafen Chemical Works

Cognac/Chateaubernard airfield

i ­

514 Fortresses .69 Liberators

652

292

1,244

699

Not observed.

Fair/good.

-

St. Jean d'Angely airfield ... Paris (Bois Colombe) ball­

bearing works Paris (Ivry) ball-bearing

works

430 Fortresses 154 Liberators

66 57

163 153

171

Fair/good. Good.

Fair/good.

4th

5th

...

...

Kiel

Munster Kiel Bordeaux/Merignac airfield

515 Fortresses * 130 Liberators

446

67 215 112

829

172 458 237

'" -

G e n e r a l l y unobserved, but believed good.

Good. Believed

Tours airfield Targets in Kuhr, including

Neuss, Dusseldorf and Wassenburg

405 Fortresses "115 Liberators 78

73 122 188

good. Good. No report,

I n the a t t a c k s on the 5 th , which w e r e m a d e in clear wea the r , p h o t o g r a p h s of K i e l show a concen t ra ted a r e a of fire west of Die H o r n commercia l p o r t a n d o ther b u r s t s in the nor th -wes t a n d nor th -eas t sections of the city. A t M e r i g n a c airfield, h a n g a r s w e r e seen to be on fire and , a t T o u r s , a concen t ra t ion of b u r s t s w a s observed in the h a n g a r a r ea to the south of the airfield.

Two h u n d r e d a n d n i n e squad rons of fighters o p e r a t e d in con junc t ion w i t h the above a t t a c k s a n d these, toge ther w i t h the bombers, des t royed 158 enemy a i rcraf t , p robab ly des t royed 53 a n d d a m a g e d 5 0 ; 63 For t resses , 26 L i b e r a t o r s a n d 31 fighters a re miss ing .

Offensive^operations of the A l l i ed E x p e d i t i o n a r y A i r Force , w h i c h w e r e on a heavy scale a n d m a i n t a i n e d t h r o u g h o u t the week, were a lmost exclusively d i r ec ted a g a i n s t m i l i t a r y objectives i n the coasta l a r ea s of N o r t h e r n F r a n c e . T h e 1,479 a i r c r a f t , wh ich a t t a cked these t a r g e t s , d r o p p e d 1,177 tons of bombs a n d fired 817 rocket pro jec t i les for t h e loss of seven a i r c r a f t . E s c o r t a n d s u p p o r t we re s u p p l i e d by 121 s q u a d r o n s of f ighters wh ich encounte red negl ig ib le oppos i t i on ; two enemy a i r c r a f t w e r e destroyed a n d two Spi t f i res a r e miss ing .

Two squad rons of Typhoons , on a sweep over Ho l l and , destroyed, five Do . 217 for the loss of one Typhoon. A f u r t h e r four enemy a i r c r a f t w e r e des t royed by fighters in the P a r i s a rea .

Night. 40. A i r c r a f t of Bomber Command o p e r a t e d i n s t r e n g t h on th ree n i g h t s of

t h e week, the m a i n t a r g e t s be ing Be r l i n (on the n i g h t s of the 1 s t / 2 n d a n d 2 n d / 3 r d ) a n d S t e t t i n (on the n i g h t of the 5 t h / 6 t h ) .

T h e t w o a t t a c k s on Ber l in , wh ich were m a d e by 355 a n d 284 a i r c r a f t respectively, were both carried, ou t t h r o u g h th ick cloud. T h e t o t a l t o n n a g e of bombs d r o p p e d w a s 2,288 b u t no definite assessment of resu l t s is possible a l though , in t h e second a t t a ck wh ich is believed to have ex t ended f rom east t o west , two a r e a s of conf lagrat ion a r e r epo r t ed .

A t S t e t t i n , a f o r t u n a t e b reak in the wea the r , about 30 miles shor t of t h e ci ty, resu l ted i n the t a r g e t be ing clear ly visible a n d a concen t ra t ed a t t a c k developed which merged in to a very l a r g e a r ea of fire. I n t h i s r a i d , t h e enemy fighters would a p p e a r to have been well deceived by an ae r i a l flarepath laid, t o w a r d s Ber l in .

F r o m the th ree opera t ions , wh ich involved the despa tch of 1,162 a i r c r a f t , 70 bombers a r e mis s ing a n d a fu r the r t h ree c rashed in t h i s count ry .

Subs id i a ry a t t a c k s by a to ta l Of 95 Mosqui toes , of wh ich one is mis s ing , were m a d e u p o n a number of t a r g e t s in G e r m a n y a n d a f u r t h e r 100 a i r c r a f t bombed m i l i t a r y objectives i n N o r t h e r n F r a n c e .

Italy . 41 . A t t a c k s on enemy r a i l w a y cent res a n d communica t ions were con t inued

t h r o u g h o u t t h e week. T h e t a r g e t s bombed by For t resses were T u r i n , P a d u a , R i m i n i , F e r r a r a a n d R a v e n n a . I n these a t t a c k s , wh ich were r e p o r t e d to be very successful, a t o t a l of 639 tons of bombs w a s d ropped . E n e m y oppos i t ion was on a smal l scale except d u r i n g the r a i d on T u r i n w h e n 20 enemy fighters were encountered , two of wh ich were des t royed for t h e loss of seven L i g h t n i n g s a n d one For t r e s s . F i f ty - th ree For t resses a t t a c k e d V i l l ape rosa Ba l l B e a r i n g W o r k s , c a u s i n g ex tens ive damage .

Mi tche l l s a n d M a r a u d e r s bombed r a i l w a y cen t res a t F a l c o n a r a (seven miles W . of Ancona ) , T e r n i , V i a r e g g i o (13 miles W . N . W . of Lucca) , a n d Borgo S a n Lorenzo (14 miles N . E . of Florence) a n d the quays a n d r a i l w a y y a r d s a t Civ i tavecchia . Nea r S a n Remo, a number of h i t s were ob ta ined on a b r i dge a t T a g g i a , a n d a t V e n t i m i g l i a two spans of the west b r i d g e , a n d one end of t h e ea s t b r idge were destroyed. Good re su l t s were also r e p o r t e d a f t e r a t t a c k s on r a i l w a y b r idges a t Cer t a ldo , Fo l igno a n d Orv ie to (N.N.W. of Rome) . A n o t h e r successful r a i d by 24 M a r a u d e r s w a s m a d e on the V a r r iver b r i d g e in t h e sou th of F r a n c e .

F igh te r -bombers a n d l igh t -bombers were ac t ive in the r ea r of the e n e m y ' s pos i t i ons ; b r idges , r a i l w a y t a r g e t s , roads , bu i l d ings a n d t r a n s p o r t vehicles were freely a t t acked . A f t e r t w o a t t a c k s on consecutive days on M . T . i n the P o p o l i / A r e z z a n o road a n d snow-bound M . T . in the m o u n t a i n a rea , 57 vehicles were des t royed a n d nea r ly 200 damaged . F igh te r -bombers also des t royed or d a m a g e d 17 locomotives a n d a number of wagons . I n the ba t t l e a rea , enemy defended pos i t ions a n d concen t ra t ions of heavy a r t i l l e ry were heavi ly a t t a c k e d p a r t i c u l a r l y in the a r e a s of Tollo (S. of Pe sca r a ) a n d Cass ino.

I n the course of all these opera t ions 29 enemy a i r c r a f t were destroyed a n d 39 All ied a i r c r a f t a r e miss ing. T h e enemy casual t ies inc lude two shot down by A . A . guns in an abor t ive a t t ack by 12 J u . 88 in t h e C a t a n i a / A u g u s t a a rea .

Yugoslavia.

42. Spl i t w a s a t t acked by 36 bombers and h i t s were observed in the dock area , r a i lway centre a n d on a medium-sized sh ip . Twenty- four Mitchel ls bombed Z a r a a n d h i t warehouses and detonated 7 5 / 1 0 0 mines. A t t a c k s on a similar­scale were m a d e also on P r i j e d o r (105 miles N. of Spl i t ) , on Sibenik (30 miles N . W . of Spl i t ) , on the r a i l w a y centre a t Brodac (55 miles W . of Belgrade) a n d on the ba r r acks a t T r a v n i k (48 miles N .W. of Sarajevo) . F o u r schooners were damaged off Korcu l a I s l and and a sh ip of 6,000 tons was a t t a cked by W a r h a w k s off the D a l m a t i a n Coast resu l t ing in a la rge explosion and. w a s left on fire.

Bulgaria. 43. A la rge force of escorted Fort resses w a s despa tched to a t t ack Sofia

but was unable to do so as the t a rge t was obscured by cloud. T w e n t y - n i n e of these bombed the town and ra i lway centre of D u p n i t s a (32 miles S.S.W. of Sofia).

Russia. 44. E a r l y in the week the Russ i an communique spoke of s t rong close s u p p o r t

by the G.A.F . in the Koros ten a rea . There w a s no fu r the r men t ion of a i r ac t iv i ty in t h a t area, but i t is t hough t t h a t so far as the "weather a n d the s ta te of the airfields pe rmi t t ed , opera t ions in close suppor t of the R u s s i a n advance in the Kiev sector were ma in ta ined .

I n the Vi t ebsk -Neve l area, despi te bad wea the r the R u s s i a n A i r Force were e n g a g e d - i n effective a t t acks wi th s t rong forces of g round , a t t ack and fighter a i r c r a f t on G e r m a n front- l ine t roops.

Elsewhere on the front , opera t ions cont inued to be hampered by bad wea the r a n d a r e a t p resen t on a very l imi ted scale.

Burma. 45. A n effective a t t a ck by escorted Mitchel l s on a b r idge over the M u r iver ,

30 miles west by south of M a n d a l a y , resul ted in the des t ruc t ion of two spans and, la ter , ano the r a t t ack inflicted considerable d a m a g e on recons t ruc t ion work in progress .

Oil ins ta l l a t ions a n d power s ta t ions a t Y e n a n g y a u n g a n d Thaye tmyo were bombed by a to ta l of 70 heavy and medium bombers.

N i g h t a t t a c k s on the r a i lway ya rds a t Rangoon a n d P r o m e were ca r r i ed ou t by Wel l ing tons and L ibe ra to r s and, by day, s imi lar t a rge t s a t Monywa and Alon, in Cen t ra l B u r m a , were bombed by L ibe ra to r s a n d Mitchel ls .

A to ta l of 218 fighters and fighter-bombers m a d e numerous h a r a s s i n g a t t acks on enemy posi t ions , s to rage dumps and camps in the Kalemyo and A k y a b a reas a n d th ree a t t acks on s imi la r objectives in the T a r o a r e a in the no r th .

R a i d s on enemy t r a n s p o r t resulted in damage to 140 small craf t , 103 u n i t s of rol l ing stock a n d 11 locomotives.

A p a r t f rom a fighter sweep over Ch i t t agong , the only enemy ac t iv i ty r epor ted is an a t t a ck by 14 escorted bombers on small nava l c ra f t off St. M a r t i n ' s I s l and (50 miles N . W . of Akyab) . Spitfires, which in tercepted , destroyed e ight of the enemy and d a m a g e d o the r s ; one Spitf ire force-landed.

China. 46. Mitchel ls , of which one crashed, m a d e th ree effective a t t acks on enemy

s h i p p i n g on the Y a n g t s e east of H a n k o w a n d near N a n k i n g ; a t roopsh ip and seven other ships were sunk, and six other ships, i nc lud ing two gunboats , were damaged .

Siam.

' 47. A to ta l of 53 L ibe ra to r s made two r a i d s on the r a i lway cent re a t L a m p a n g in N o r t h S iam.

Pacific Zone. New Guinea.

48. The A l l i ed effort w a s d i rec ted ma in ly aga in s t g u n pos i t ions , t r oop concent ra t ions a n d ba rge bases in the coas ta l a r eas a r o u n d Alex i sha fen , M a d a n g . B o g a d y i m a n d Saidor , a g a i n s t wh ich a to t a l of about 650 sort ies, by heavy a n d m e d i u m bombers, w a s flown. A t Sa idor , about 300 tons of bombs were d r o p p e d p r i o r to a n d in s u p p o r t of l a n d i n g ope ra t ions wh ich took place on t h e 1st. A s imi la r t onnage was d ropped on gun pos i t ions a n d the airfield a t Alex i sha fen .

New Britain. 49. A to ta l of 183 m e d i u m a n d l igh t bombers m a d e seven r a i d s on enemy

concent ra t ions a n d g u n pos i t ions in the Borgen B a y a rea , a n d L i b e r a t o r s and Mi tche l l s m a d e a heavy a t t a ck on s imi la r t a r g e t s near C a p e Gloucester , d r o p p i n g 182 tons of bombs.

T h e w a t e r f r o n t a n d town of R a b a u l were bombed by 19 escor ted L ibe ra to r s , a n d the nea rby airfield a t L a k u n a i by 15 escor ted L i b e r a t o r s a n d 35 Beau fo r t s . I n these ope ra t ions a n d by fighters sweeping the same a rea , 72 enemy a i r c r a f t we re destroyed a n d a f u r t h e r 32 were probably des t royed; one L i b e r a t o r a n d e igh t fighters a r e m i s s i n g a n d two L i b e r a t o r s c rashed .

Enemy a i r c r a f t , of which 11 were destroyed, made s ix small-scale r a i d s on o u r pos i t ions in the A r a w a a rea .

A C a t a l i n a d a m a g e d a des t royer off C a p e Hosk ins .

New Ireland and the Admiralty Islands. 50. C a t a l i n a s , of wh ich a to ta l of 34 opera ted , m a i n t a i n e d n i g h t l y a t t a c k s

on the airfields a t K a v i e n g a n d P a n a p e i . Off Kav i eng , L i b e r a t o r s bombed a n d h i t a l i gh t c ru i se r a n d d a m a g e d a s h i p of corvet te type .

A 9,000-ton sh ip , anchored in h a r b o u r a t Los Negros I s l and , w a s sunk by a C a t a l i n a a n d another, sh ip of 2,500 tons w a s damaged .

Bougainville and Shortland Island. 51. A to ta l of 262 l i gh t bombers a t t a c k e d enemy g u n pos i t ions n e a r B u k a ,

on S h o r t l a n d I s l a n d and in Sou th Bouga inv i l l e . S i m i l a r a i r c r a f t des t royed two b r idges on the B u i n / E m p r e s s A u g u s t a B a y road and a n o t h e r two sou th of C a p e Torok ina .

M e d i u m a n d heavy bombers a t t a c k e d supp ly dumps and. o ther t a r g e t s i n the K a h i l i a n d on B u k a I s l and .

The Celebes and Timor. 52. On the 2nd, L i b e r a t o r s d r o p p e d 19 tons of bombs on an i n d u s t r i a l p l a n t

a t P o m e l a a and , on the 4th, D u t c h Mitchel l s , of which one is miss ing , set on fire a small sh ip a t K o e p a n g .

Marshall Islands. 53. On the 26 th December, 17 L i b e r a t o r s bombed in s t a l l a t i ons a t W o t j e and ,

w i t h Hel lca t s , a t t a c k e d s h i p p i n g a t J a l u i t ; two L i b e r a t o r s a r e miss ing .

H O M E S E C U R I T Y S I T U A T I O N . General.

54. Bombing occur red on th ree n i g h t s of t h e week. On the 3 0 t h / 3 l s t two t r i v i a l inc iden ts were r e p o r t e d f rom Sussex. On t h e 2 n d / 3 r d bombs w e r e d r o p p e d in the London a r ea a n d in K e n t a n d Sussex w i t h o u t ser ious damage . O n the 4 t h / 5 t h the re w e r e inc iden ts in London , Ken t , Sussex and S u r r e y ; t h e r e w a s s l ight d a m a g e to an a i r c r a f t fac tory a t Fe l t ham, d a m a g e to a f ac to ry a t Beckenham, houses were d a m a g e d a t Brook land (Kent ) . S t . L e o n a r d s , Ble tchingley, W e s t c o t t nea r D o r k i n g , a n d a t Re iga te .

Casualties. 55. The e s t i m a t e d c iv i l ian casua l t i e s for the week e n d i n g 0600 h o u r s on

t h e 6th were four k i l led a n d 24 seriously i n ju r ed .

A P P E N D I C E S I, I I , I I I and I Y will be published periodically.

A P P E N D I X V.

Casualties to H.M. and Allied Auxil iary Vessels and to Naval Personnel.

31st December.—L.S.T. 411 damaged by mine between M a d d a l e n a (Sa rd in i a ) a n d B a s t i a (Corsica).

Qth January.— Wallasea ( M / S - A / S t r awle r ) sunk by enemy act ion off the L i z a r d .

The following casual t ies to nava l personnel have been repor ted : —

Officers : 12 k i l led ; 2 mi s s ing ; 7 wounded . R a t i n g s : 98 ki l led; 9 mis s ing ; 39 wounded .

A P P E N D I X V I .

Imports under Departmental Programmes.

(Thousand tons.)

Non-Tanker Impor t s^ 1 ) TankeTankerr

ImportsImports.. (( 33 ))Ministry of Ministry of Total. OFood. Supply.

1 9 4 31 9 4 31 9 4 3 --­

the estimated weights of the commodities included in the Trade and Navigation Accounts

JanuarJanuarJanuaryyyFebruarFebruarFebruaryyyMarcMarcMarchhh

......... --­531 633 874

598 551

1,017

1,177 1,267 2,015

857 895 996

ApriApriAprilll MaMaMayyyJJJ unununeee

1,173 1,022 1,173

1,020 874

1,312

2,378 2,064 2,723

1,071 1,281 1,467

JulJulJulyyyAugust..August..August..... SeptembeSeptembeSeptemberrr ......... .........

1,235 889

1,058

1,292 1,267 1,358

2,748 2,368 2,661

1,967 1,519 1,760

October..October..October..... NovembeNovembeNovemberrr

1,170 859

1,209 1,179

2,569 2,185

1,293 1,141

TotalTotalTotal,,, JanuarJanuarJanuaryyy tttooo November(November(November(444 ))) 10,557 . 11,630 24,054 14,035

ls t-18tls t-18tls t-18thhhmatedmatedmated)))

DecembeDecembeDecemberrr (esti(esti(esti--­573 744 1,417 714

^ ; : ­

( l ) Excluding imports from Eire. The monthly figures of imports given in this table represent

for each montli and are unadjusted for small revisions.subsequently made in the cumula­tive totals given in the accounts for later months.

( 2 ) Including munitions and miscellaneous imports under the Ministry of Production programme and imports of munitions on Canadian Government account.

(?) Petroleum products, molasses, unrefined whale oil, industrial alcohol, and acetone. (*) Adjusted for revisions.

A P P E N D I X V I I .

Air At tacks on Enemy Territory in Europe.

Extracts from Recent Raid Assessment Reports. Germany.

Berlin.—The following account was p r e p a r e d by a first-hand observer w h o was res iden t in the G e r m a n cap i t a l between the 22nd November, w h e n the first a n d heaviest-of the recent series of n i g h t a t t a c k s took place, a n d mid-December . I t should be stressed t h a t t h i s observer is a n i n f o r m a n t of p roved re l i ab i l i ty w i t h o p p o r t u n i t i e s to become fully a c q u a i n t e d wdth the s i t u a t i o n as i t ex is ted immedia te ly fol lowing the November a n d December a t t a c k s : —

Raids of 22nd/23rd November and 23rd/24:th November. Main areas of concentration.—The p r i n c i p a l a r ea s covered by the a t t acks of

the 2 2 n d / 2 3 r d a n d 2 3 r d / 2 4 t h November were west a n d south-west of Ber l in . B u t on t h i s occasion the bombed a r ea s ex tended considerably f u r t h e r eas t a n d nor th , r each ing the A l e x a n d e r P l a t z in the eas t a n d t h e W e d d i n g d i s t r i c t in the nor th .

T h e effects of the first r a i d were t remendous , a n d i t w a s difficult to believe t h a t i n such a shor t t ime so l a rge a n a r ea could have been bombed in so effective a way. T h e r a i d of the 2 3 r d / 2 4 t h November covered more or less the same area , b u t on th i s occasion the m a i n concen t ra t ion of bombs fell in the so-called " old w e s t ' ' of Ber l in and covered a n a r e a r u n n i n g from the W i t t e n b e r g P l a t z to t h e P o t s d a m e r P l a t z in the eas t a n d the H a n s a a r ea in the no r th . Since i t is impossible to different iate be tween the bu i ld ings des t royed d u r i n g t h e first a n d d u r i n g the second ra ids , t h e a g g r e g a t e resul ts of the twro a t t a c k s a re given together in the fol lowing p a r a g r a p h s .

Damage to railways.—The fol lowing d a m a g e w a s done to r a i l w a y s ta t ions , l ines, &c. :—

(a) T h e m a i n r a i l w a y l ine r u n n i n g from west to eas t t h r o u g h t h e cen t re of the c i ty w a s seriously damaged—fi r s t between the s t a t ions of S p a n d a u a n d W e s t k r e u t z ; then a t the T i e r g a r t e n s t a t i on where t h e r a i l w a y l ine crosses the C h a r l o t t e n b u r g Chaussee ; then a t t h e Borse s ta t ion , where a long-d is tance t r a i n w a s blown to pieces a n d finally, a t t h e A l e x a n d e r P l a t z . A t these- po in t s , bombs fell on the r a i l w a y l ine itself. E l se ­where m a n y houses in the i m m e d i a t e v ic in i ty of the r a i l w a y l ine were damaged . A n H . E . bomb s t ruck the p remises of the K o n d i t o r e i Telschow nea r the Zoo s ta t ion , a n d al l t he houses to the le f t a n d r i g h t of the r a i l w a y l ine between the Char lo t t enburg ' s t a t ion a n d the Borse s t a t ion were wrecked by H . E . bombs. R e p a i r s to t h i s l ine took five days, a n d the first S t a d t b a h n t r a i n s s t a r t e d r u n n i n g only a t 0900 on the 29 th November. T h e s igna l system a n d p e r m a n e n t w a y h a d been r e p a i r e d by then, bu t owing to the s t a t e of the r u i n e d houses on e i the r side of t h e l ine, traffic could proceed a t only a sna i l ' s pace a n d h a d to be cons tan t ly i n t e r r u p t e d d u r i n g the p e r i o d s w h e n the a d j a c e n t houses a re be ing pul led down or blown u p . M a i n l ine traffic on t h i s l ine w a s st i l l n o t func t ion ing u p to mid-December . D u r i n g t h e first ten days a f te r t h e r a i d of the 2 2 n d / 2 3 r d November m a i n l ine traffic to a n d f rom the eas t r a n in to the Schlesischer s t a t ion , t h a t t o a n d f rom the wes t in to the. P o t s d a m e r s t a t i on a n d to a n d f rom the no r th -wes t to t h e W u s t e r m a r k s t a t ion .

(b) D u r i n g t h e r a i d of the 2 3 r d / 2 4 t h November the Sou th R i n g L i n e w a s wrecked n e a r the W i l m e r s d o r f s t a t ion a t t h e p o i n t a t w h i c h i t crosses the Kaisera l lee .

(c) T h e N o r t h R i n g L i n e was wrecked between the P u t l i t z s t r a s s e a n d W e d d i n g s ta t ions , bu t d a m a g e he re w a s less ser ious a n d traffic w a s m a i n t a i n e d on a one- t rack l ine basis .

id) The L e h r t e r s ta t ion sus t a ined considerable ex t e rna l damage , bu t t h e t r a cks were not d a m a g e d a n d traffic to a n d from N a u e n could there fore be m a i n t a i n e d .

(e) Two of the m a i n s t a t ions in B e r l i n — t h e Schlesischer a n d Goer l i tzer s t a t i ons—were no t d a m a g e d a t all a n d were k e p t w o r k i n g d u r i n g the

[26683] c

whole week of r a ids . A food ca tas t rophe was only prevented by the fact tha t these two s ta t ions kep t ope ra t ing a n d took over the whole of the un load ing of food t r a i n s which w a s formerly ca r r i ed out a t the Alexander P l a t z .

(N.B.—This a rea was damaged in la te r at tacks.)

(/) T h e Borse s ta t ion w a s completely burned out.

Damage to public buildings.—So many public bui ld ings were destroyed or damaged d u r i n g the two a t t acks t h a t i t is easier to l ist w h a t survives t h a n w h a t has been destroyed. The following a re known to have suffered —

(a) The Technical H i g h School in Cha r lo t t enburg has been completely bu rned out.

(b) W a l k i n g wes twards from the Technica l H i g h School a long t h e Ber l iner S t rasse and the Bismarcks t rasse , there is not a s ingle bu i ld ing left as fa r as the C h a r l o t t e n b u r g Opera House , which has also been badly damaged.

(c) The Broadcas t i ng S ta t ion a t the Adolf H i t l e r P l a t z has escaped damage, but all the h u t s round i t have been burned out.

(d) The Opera House and the Univers i ty in the U n t e r Den L i n d e n have been damaged.

(e) The Deutsche B a n k bui ld ings , inc luding the vaul ts , have been completely burned out.

(/) The P r o p a g a n d a M i n i s t r y (the former U . S . Embassy) has i ts u p p e r storeys torn off.

(g) H i t l e r ' s residence (the old Reichskanzle i ) h a s a wedge l ike a slice of cake cut out of it .

(A) The M i n i s t r y for Fore ign Affairs has been damaged by blast on the g a r d e n side and has been evacuated.

(i) -The A i r Min i s t ry has suffered from fire, b u t the bu i ld ings in Wi lhe lm­strasse are sti l l s t and ing .

(j) The Ges tapo B u i l d i n g in the Albrech ts t rasse has been d a m a g e d ; i t was evidently h i t by a H . E . bomb and then caugh t fire. The whole of the g a r d e n side of the bu i ld ing has been opened u p , and the ou te r wa l l has crumbled away.

(k) The H a u p t a m t der S.S. ( the former Hote l P r i n z Albrecht ) , inc lud ing the cellars, has been bu rned out.

(I) The P o l i z e i - P r a s i d i u m (in the Alexander P l a t z ) has been d a m a g e d by three H E . bombs a n d i ts Adres s -Bureau completely destroyed. Section Two of the P o l i z e i - P r a s i d i u m (a sepa ra t e bu i ld ing nea r the Borse s ta t ion, which deals w i t h foreigners) has been burned down to the cellars.

General Damage.—-The following list includes i tems of genera l damage caused in the two r a ids :—

(a) The mi l i t a ry garages a n d wooden ba r racks on the Ber l iner S t rasse opposi te the Technical H i g h School have been completely bu rned out and a l a rge number of mi l i t a ry cars, t rucks a n d ca te rp i l l a r lorr ies were destroyed.

(b) A s one walks ea s twa rds from the Technica l H i g h School the damage on both sides of the Cha r lo t t enburge r Chaussee is very heavy.

(c) The whole of the T i e r g a r t e n between the Cha r lo t t enburge r Chaussee, the L a n d w e h r Cana l and the Fasane r i e Allee has been w i p e d out a n d trees and bushes torn u p . T h e only bu i ld ings left s t a n d i n g here a re the I t a l i a n and J a p a n e s e Embassies . The T i e r g a r t e n s t a t ion has been completely destroyed.

(d) On e i ther side of the L a n d w e h r Cana l as far as the P o t s d a m e r B r i d g e only three or four bu i ld ings have escaped tota l des t ruc t ion . The rest, inc lud ing T i r p i t z u e r 80 (H.Q. of the Abwehr ) a n d the Nava l H .Q . (formerly the Re ichswehrmin i s t e r ium Bui ld ing) , have been completely burned out.

(e) South of the L a n d w e h r C a n a l the zone of complete des t ruc t ion extends to the south over the Li i tzow P l a t z as fa r as the Kle is t s t rasse .

(/) P a r t i c u l a r l y heavy damage has been caused in the W i t t e n b e r g P l a t z and round the Gedenknisk i rche . I n the Augsburge r s t r a s se , for example , only two houses have been left s t and ing .

(g) A n o t h e r centre of complete des t ruc t ion in the Bayer i scher a r e a s t re tches from the Kaise ra l l ee in the west u p to the Golzs t rasse in the east . E v e r y t h i n g in t h i s a rea has been destroyed.

(h) I n the nor th , the H a n s a d i s t r i c t is completely w i p e d out . (i) T h e Moab i t a r e a has also suffered badly . (j) T h e heaviest damage , however, h a s been caused in the W e d d i n g d i s t r i c t ,

where there is pract ioal ly n o t h i n g left. (k) Des t ruc t ion has also been very heavy a long a d i rec t l ine r u n n i n g f rom the

G-esundtbrunner to the A l e x a n d e r P l a t z . H e r e only isolated houses have been lef t s t and ing , and even these wi l l p robably have to be pul led down. One of the heaviest blows was the des t ruc t ion of the food supp ly s tores nea r A lexande r P l a t z .

(V) A m o n g hotels, the Ka i se rho f has been dest royed by blast . The Br i s t o l has been b u r n e d out . The Ho te l Adlon , on the o ther hand , escaped damage .

(m) T h e U n t e r Den L i n d e n has also sus t a ined considerable damage , the M i l i t a r y M u s e u m a n d the so-called Old P a l a c e be ing completely wrecked.

(n) T h e B r i t i s h a n d F r e n c h Embass ies were completely b u r n e d out a n d the A m e r i c a n Embassy w a s d a m a g e d by b las t to such a n ex t en t t h a t i t wi l l have to be pul led down. The R u s s i a n Embassy h a s no t been damaged .

(o) I t is difficult, if not impossible, to a sce r t a in the t o t a l number of bu i ld ings des t royed in wes tern , south-western , n o r t h e r n a n d cen t ra l Ber l in , u p to a n d inc lud ing the A l e x a n d e r P l a t z . F i f t y - t h r e e pe r cent, of i n f o r m a n t ' s personal, acqua in tances have h a d the i r houses completely b u r n e d out. G e r m a n s work ing i n the A . R P . services declare t h a t about two mil l ion people were bombed out of house a n d home d u r i n g these two r a id s .

Raid on 2Qth/27th November. Main areas of concentration.—In t h e r a i d of t h e 2 6 t h / 2 7 t h November t h e a rea

bombed w a s the west of S iemens tad t , where two of the b igges t fac tory shops were completely b u r n e d out, a n d the Tegel d i s t r i c t .

Damage.—Points of d a m a g e include the following :—: (a) T h e Rhe inmeta l l -Bors ig p l a n t in Tegel h a s suffered very severe d a m a g e

a n d u p to mid-December c iv i l ian workmen have no t been al lowed in to the factory a n d all workers have been p laced u n d e r m i l i t a r y control . I t is r umoured t h a t th i s fac tory h a s been completely p u t ou t of act ion.

(b) The Tegel Gasometer , t he biggest in Ber l in , has been completely burned out.

(c) T h e A l t k e t t fac tory has sus ta ined very considerable damage . Bo th assembly shops a r e completely des t royed a n d people l iv ing nearby re la te t h a t over 100 T ige r t a n k s ( i n fo rman t himself s aw 12 lying about) were completely bu rned u p . The p l a n t h a s been r u i n e d beyond r epa i r , a n d the r e m n a n t s of the shops have been blown u p .

(d) T h e m a i n we igh t of the a t t ack on Tegel fell on the former Genera l Motors p lan t , of which absolutely n o t h i n g is left. I t is r u m o u r e d t h a t t h i s p a r t i c u l a r l y concent ra ted a t t a c k was caused by t h e fac t t h a t about 100 big g u n s a r r i v i n g a t the fac tory for r e p a i r s w e r e st i l l on the ra i l ­way t rucks and were probably t aken for A / A guns .

Raid of 3rd/4:th December. Main areas of concentration.—Damage was ho t concen t ra t ed i n any special

a reas as a resul t of th i s r a i d , which w a s more of a n ' ' a l l over the p lace ' ' a t t a c k t h a n i t s predecessors.

Damage.-^-Th.e d a m a g e caused, includes the fol lowing :— (a) T h e Stegl i tz r a i l w a y s ta t ion h a s been buimed out . (b) A heavy H . E . bomb fell in the A l e x a n d e r P l a t z . (c) Some damage w a s caused in S iemenss tad t . (d) A l a rge number of incend ia ry bombs fell on houses wh ich h a d a l ready

been burned, out , in G r u n e w a l d a n d a long t h e Hohenzol le rn D a m m , for ins tance , where they caused no damage .

Frankfurt.—In the a t t ack on the 2 0 t h / 2 1 s t December severe damage was caused in the d is t r ic t s of Eockenheim a n d Sachsenhausen, the suburb of Offenbach a n d in the centre of the city between the Opera House and the m a i n Pos t Office in the N o r t h and the r iver in the South. I n Bockenheim the r a i lway s ta t ion and t r a m w a y depot were among the bu i ld ings affected. A long the Bocken­heim L a n d Strasse (the m a i n exi t f rom the centre of the city N.W.) for a considerable d is tance from the Opera House, over th ree- four ths of the bu i ld ings were destroyed or rendered un inhab i tab le . Most of the la rge warehouses in the west ha rbour were b u r n t out and i t was said t h a t as much as four-fifths of the Sachsenhausen d is t r ic t were destroyed.

Innsbruck.—Two a t t acks were m a d e by a i r c r a f t based in the Medi te r ­r a n e a n thea t r e on the 15th and 19th December. I n the first, severe damage was caused to the goods ya rds , where some 15 t r a i n s loaded wi th w a r ma te r i a l w a i t i n g to leave for I t a ly were wrecked. On the 19th December d i rec t h i t s on the m a i n s ta t ion killed the s ta t ion-mas te r and m a n y r a i lway officials. The most i m p o r t a n t f e a tu r e was, however, the r ende r ing useless of 20 of the m a i n l ine electric locomotives used on the Brenner route , a n d the des t ruc t ion of the r a i lway a d m i n i s t r a t i v e offices.

T h e recent bombing of Innsb ruck a n d the Brenner r a i lway has created such difficulties t h a t the Germans have been compelled to send a l a rge number of motor t r a n s p o r t in the a rea to m a i n t a i n the flow of traffic.

France. Paris.-Photographs t aken af ter the U . S . A . A . F . a t t ack on the 31st December

show damage to t a rge t s in the Bois Colombes area .

(a) The H i spano-Su iza Aero E n g i n e W o r k s has suffered severely, a n d many of the bu i ld ings which were damaged in the a t t ack on the 15th

.-September, and subsequently repa i red , have a g a i n been hi t . The two ma in workshops, the propel le r shop, the machine" shop and several bu i ld ings of the h e a t t r e a t m e n t shops have all been damaged more or less severely.

(b) The C.A.M. bal l -bear ing W o r k s h a s received th ree d i rec t h i t s which have damaged the ma in bu i ld ing .

(c) The Soc. Ber l ie t R e p a i r W o r k s a n d the Delage M / T Shops have both received some damage.