WEEKLY DIGEST NO. 5

during october on saipan the after battle cleanup is underway as yank salvage crews helped transform this newly won island into a powerful threat against japanese positions in the philippines central pacific and the homeland itself this used to be the main electricity generating plant its two 600 kilowatt generators the biggest in the entire area cost five hundred thousand yen a piece and were capable of lighting the major half of saipan island now no longer usable the engines are dismantled for salvage by technicians of a collection and salvage company the building will be left standing to become part of the signal depot on this new american advanced base battle damaged this enemy radio tower is useless except as scrap metal acetylene torches slice through the tower legs collapse the tower is cut into small sections for a truck haul to saipan salvage yards the salvage yards are packed with enemy material these searchlights are part of the enormous quantity of equipment the japs had poured onto the island in their futile attempt to keep saipan out of american hands a dynamo is brought to the dump these are 105 millimeter gun barrels japanese shell cases already used will be used again empty oil drums have been collected now weight shipment back to the united states these salvaged gas and water cans are to be sent back too here they are tied together for easier handling at a [ __ ] ammunition dump soldiers inspect enemy land mines and collect abandoned grenades and shells captured ammunition is sent to an ordinance unit to be disarmed the brass will be salvaged the japs had placed hand grenades in trees they were to be retrieved and used during the retreat into the hills these grenades will be salvaged too along with [ __ ] field guns and engines that once powered japanese aircraft mission from nemthar island to bowila on the island of saram 330 miles to the southwest on october 12th 12 820s left connoisseur and strip on numfer to bomb and strop the important dutch east indies fuel supply base of bowila parafrags were released from 200 feet bowila oil four percent of the annual tonnage produced in the indies needs no refining is used largely for ship's fuel the preceding week this and adjacent areas of the moluccas had been repeatedly attacked these strikes were designed not only to harass troop concentrations and neutralize airfields but to choke off the netherlands oil line which ultimately would deprive japan of more than three-fourths of aviation and naval fuel on october 11th penny-based 10th air force mitchells bombed the railroad bridge at pin mana the 12 b-25s picked up lightning escorted chittagong before bombing this part of the famous burma railways just south of mandalay the bridge was not hit but the railroad tracks on its approach were badly torn up there was no interception and heavy yak act which the formation met on route caused no damage all aircraft returned safely on october 12th 12 more funny-based mitchells bombed the railroad bridge at cynthia 125 miles due south of mandalay the first pattern ended 100 feet short of the bridge as the bombs fell into the dry stream bed bombs from the second box of planes struck the first and second spans knocking out the northwest section of the bridge no air or ground opposition was encountered on october 13th two squadrons of penny-based mitchell's bombs and weave the military area was covered with hundred pounders each of the 24 planes carrying 22 bombs the total of 528 bombs all fell in the target area 1500 feet wide and a thousand feet long there was no opposition either from air or ground one basha received three direct hits and exploded in great flame and smoke on october 14th mitch in the base 10th air force thunderbolts bombed and strapped the bombo area in addition to 500 pounders slung under their wings the p-47s used landmines to destroy a [ __ ] headquarters on an island in the iriwati river six miles northwest of bombo finishing touch was dropping the area the group completed a second mission this day demolishing a bridge on the burma road in general the fighters were making almost daily runs along these winding valleys and mountains maintaining attacks on bridges and communications in north burma to keep supplies from reaching the japs on the salween front on october 22nd funny-based bombers made a strike on the bridge at tong dwindi 120 miles southwest of mandalay the first squadron failed to hit the bridge but the second squadron bombing from four thousand feet hit near enough to damage the center span although the bridge was left standing the center portion appeared to sag the bomb load was forty one thousand pounders fused one tenth nose and one fortieth tail due to malfunction the bombs of one ship did not release at the proper time and was salvoed in the target area with the pattern striking in the village on the north side of the river on october 23rd 12 penny-based mitchells bombed the bridge at seaport 74 500 pounders fused one tenth nose and one 40th tail would drop from 9000 feet the first string fell into the fields near the bridge the second pattern started near the southeast approach to the bridge and scored one direct hit this mission was again an attempt to halt the japs removing troop reinforcements and supplies into north burma these are paper bullets aimed psychologically at burmese natives as well as [ __ ] troops in burma these leaflets printed in both native language and english tell the truth about allied strength gains and fair treatment of war prisoners almost daily the dropping plane of the 10th air force operates at low altitudes without fighter escort some leaflets explain the necessity for bombing certain areas keep the natives posted on the law's progress on all fronts gifts are dropped too in order to ensure friendly treatment to allied pilots forced down in the jungle sewing kits with brightly colored thread christmas candles and bright colored robes for the native priests a dangerous unprotected job over enemy installations the crew would rather be dropping bombs target warehouses near eulek german border town on september 29th ninth air force marauders hit this small town 20 miles from ochen and 15 miles inside the german border from 12 500 feet the 26s knocked out this warehouse that held frontline supplies luftwaffe opposition came out of its lull this week to average 200 sorties a day mainly in the holland area target marshalling yards at hengalow and holland seven miles west of the german border on october 6th 9th air force marauders crossed the albert canal on their way to this important railway junction 45 miles northeast of arnhem where for the previous 10 days general montgomery's army had been engaged in fierce fighting this yard was a vital funnel for supplies and reinforcements to the german army holding the british on the arnhem front the formations were subjected to intense and accurate flight during this attack target huge supply houses and barracks at oyskirkin 30 miles east of bakken and 18 miles southwest of cologne on october 7th the 9th marauders took violent evasive action through intense flack to lay 1000 pounders on these supply houses and barracks which were being used to reinforce and supply the enemy troops attempting to hold the siegfried line against the gathering force of general bradley's american first army cutting all rail bridges over the seine and lois rivers by air attack was a main factor in the success of the allied invasion in france isolating the battle area and crippling enemy transportation facilities the first line of interdiction was established along the scene between paris and the sea at rwand the bridge on the right built in 1940 was destroyed by two air attacks evidence of precision bombing is in the undamaged round cathedral among ruins of riverside buildings heavies did the major damage may 27th of this year and fighters finished the job the next day this other bridge was hit by the raf but the germans were able to maintain one-way traffic at night congested retreating german traffic was cut to pieces by staffing the enemy left three thousand dead behind upon delash the destroyed bridge has been replaced with a ponton bridge airpower's first task had been to prevent the movement of german troops from the calais coast to normandy as the invasion developed this had begun d minus 90 with the bombardment of all rail centers servicing the calais area remnants of the original structure may be seen in the background at mont a great rail center both the railroad and highway bridges were downed in three air attacks this long railway bridge on the mainline to paris was hit by u.s heavies on may 28th and july 8th knocking out one span at the end and two nearer the center enemy tanks under their own power had been using this bridge traveling on an improvised pavement of heavy timbers laid parallel to the tracks bombings left rails and ties dangling over the water rail lines to shabor and lahavra were cut by these attacks the highway bridge at mont was hit by two waves of u.s heavies on may 30th the first wave alone almost demolished it on the right of the ruins a ponton bridge carried a limited flow of traffic at maison lafitte our heavies cut the railroad bridge on may 28th by june 12th all railroad bridges over the scene from confluence just north of paris to the sea were down as well as all 13 road bridges now another line of interdiction was established along the loire river as part of this the railroad bridge at oleon was destroyed on june 15th seven waves of eighth air force bombers got 10 of the 14 spans townspeople amazed at the bombing accuracy reported damage was confined almost solely to the bridge with but one casualty a german century land extensions of the loire insane lines of interdiction were meanwhile joined east of paris completely sealing off the battle area while we were building up sufficient force to break out of normandy this interdiction along the loire prevented a similar buildup by the enemy at beaujon sea one span of the highway bridge was smashed denied the use of railroad bridges the nazis attempted to resupply and reinforce by road but road bridges too were methodically wiped out and truck convoys were subjected to devastating fighter and bomber attacks at blah 36 8th air force heavies canceled out another railroad bridge over the loire on june 11. near-misses blew up sections of steel plating all over the bridge one side span was spattered and an air mist jawed another span 10 inches out of line the structure sagged into the water its center completely knocked out this interdiction hampered the flow of supplies clogging lines as transfer were made from trains to truck or boat to train again vulnerable to stopping and bombing traffic jam ups resulted in heavy losses on river banks wherever these bridges were down at mar louis the rail bridge was hit by eight air force heavies three times and once by the ninth air force the eighth last attack on june 15th put it out of commission and the ninth follow-up on july 7 put the finishing touches on it all spans were batted down and rails lay looping over rims of foundations and ties at tour our heavies marked off another railroad bridge on june 15th this second try after a first failure on june 7th knocked out all spans and the river rushed over a wreckage of foundations ties and rails there was the third attack june 24th later the french built a temporary footbridge alongside at sanct mall appeal a different span of the railroad bridge was erased each of the first four times it was attacked the fifth and last time on june 15 the eighth heavies got four more spans and the germans gave up repairing the bridge honors for the overall interdiction campaign were shared about equally between bombers and fighters at samuel an emergency footbridge was built alongside the highway bridge which had been destroyed by the raf eight air force bombers smashed the railroad bridge on june 24th in addition to these demolished spans there was much incidental damage here and 87 were killed shalom's long concrete railroad bridge was eliminated june 9th thus the interdiction campaign begun in may set the trap for the destruction of german military power in northern france and air powers final task carpeted the countryside with blasted guns tanks trucks and trains as transportation snarls grew out of the methodical destruction of bridges during the last half of september the luftwaffe reappeared tentatively after a long lull and promptly bore the brunt of fighter attacks gunsight aiming point cameras reveal how surely fighter guns found nazi planes as well as nazi transport an emmy 163 nazi jet propelled fighter oh you