25/10/42 - No. 26

Air Ministry News Service Air Ministry Bulletin No. 8386

MILAN ATTACKED BY DAY AND NIGHT

While the first Lancasters to return from yesterday's daylight raid on

Milan were landing in England more bombs were dropping on the targets theyhad attacked.

A force of Stirling’s,

Halifaxes and Wellingtons was continuing the

attack by night.

Their crews saw the afternoon's fires still Burning.

The daylight attack on the town from which Mussolini led his march on

Rome just 20 years ago, was the Lancasters' most daring assault as yet.

They were escorted By fighters to the coast of Northern France. Then

they were alone - for their long journey of more than 500 miles across land.

The Lancaster crews' orders were to reach Milan well Before dark - it was

not to Be a dusk attack.

The first Bomb was dropped at four minutes past five. Not until they

were Back over the Alps did the sun set.

At the same time the full noon rose and over Northern France the

German night fighters were up to make the most of light and weather which

suited them.

After such a test, only three out of the whole force of Lancasters are

missing.

A flight commander, Squadron Leader D. Clyde-Smith, D.F.C., has described

the whole flight and the attacks.

"We took off in the morning", he said, "and as we flew towards the

English coast other Lancasters came in to join us till they were stretchingon all sides.

"As we crossed the English coast the fighters not us exactly on time

and turned to fly with us across the sea. It was a most encouraging sight.

"When we reached the French coast we met cloud and I saw nothing of the

ground until we reached the Loire. Then once again I saw the Chateaux - just

as I had seen them on the way to Le Creusot. For a time I flew low - though

not very low. Meeting no opposition I began to climb and flew on over

scattered clouds.

"We climbed over the Alps, which stretched Before us with their tops

shining white in the sun and looking most impressive, and crossed about

1,000 feet above them.

"When we got to the other side there was cloud once again. We saw very

little except occasional glimpses of villages Beneath the cloud. Once I saw

a clock tower and tried to road the time - I passed it Before I could see

what it was.

"Over Milan there was cloud but we went down, and saw Milan below. Just

as we had started our bombing run I saw a 4,000-pounder Burst and send

Buildings flying. During the run incendiaries were falling and Burning all

the time.

"When we had finished our run and dropped our stuff we climbed into

the cloud again and set course for home./"It

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"It was getting dusk when we came to the Alps again, with the sun low in

the sky. After we crossed the Alps the moon came up and on each side of us

there was a blood red disc. It never got completely dark. As soon as the sun

set the moon was up. We reached our base without meeting any trouble".

"I've always wanted to sec a 4,000 lb. bomb go off in daylight", another

pilot said, "and now I have. It simply blew a factory to pieces. You think the

factory is there - and then it isn 't".

Wing Commander J.M. Southwell, who led one of the squadrons, described how

he flew straight across Milan and watched the attack begin.

"Over Milan there was thick scattered cloud", he said. "We came down

through it and flew straight across the town. Numbers of incendiaries dropped,but the fires had not yet properly caught on, except for two good ones which

were glowing fed.

"I noticed a factory plastered with incendiaries and knew it would soon be

well ablaze. Outside Milan we found a goods train and my gunners let fly at it.

A Flight Lieutenant Pilot was interested to know what his Flight Engineerwould make of Milan.

"He 'd never shown much interest in a target," the pilot said, "except once

over Kiel, when he looked at the flak coming up, swore, and then went back to

his controls.

"Just as we were coming down on Milan I felt someone nudge me. It was

my Flight Engineer. 'Port outer engines getting a little warm, sir' he said."

Flying Officer Drew Wyness, captain of a Lancaster, was so much impressed

by the whole flight, and by the attack, that he spent the next day writing a report

on it.

"Once over the Alps," he said, "we gradually lost height until we got near

the target when we saw it was covered with a thin cloud layer: we circled round

end nutting the nose of the aircraft into a fairly steep dive we descended through

cloud. We were right over the town.

"The air-bomber then pin-pointed the target and gave his series of corrections.

We ran up and bombed. Other bombs and incendiaries could seen bursting or

burning. There was one particularly large fire, the flames of which were

reaching up to two or three hundred feat.

"After bombing we wont down further and flew at about 800 feet. The ground

defences did not worry us. We climbed to 13,000 feet again and flew back over the

Alps.

Flying Officer R. Calvert, D.F.C., was struck by who number of French people

who waved on the way out, as soon as they recognised that his aircraft was British.

He also dived through cloud over Milan.

"We made our run across at 4,000 feet", he said, "to bomb right on the

stipulated time 1709 hours.

"The deforces did not affect our bombing run.

"Our bombs were about the third or fourth to fall and an we left the target

a very good fire was burning and more bombs wore dropping. We then dropped to

800 feet and our gunners shot up a couple of factories and a goods train."

/Most

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Most of the bombing was from under the base of the scattered clouds, at about

4,000 feet.

A great load of incendiaries, as well as of 4,000 lb. and 1,000 lb. bombs was

dropped. Fires and great volumes of smoke were very clearly seen.

Milan has some heavy anti-aircraft guns and a considerable number of light guns

in addition to a balloon barrage, which was flying higher than the average height of

the Lancasters' bombing runs.

In the neighbourhood Italian fighters were up.

One Lancaster, breaking through cloud tops, was attacked by two Macchi 202s.

The first came close in, but after fire from the Lancaster’s mid-upper and rear

turrets, turned over on its side and went straight down into the clouds.

The second did not make a close attack and after a few shots made off.

A bi-plane fighter also followed a Lancaster from a distance and tried a few

shots.

When the night bombers arrived the clouds over Milan were thicker. But the

fires lit that afternoon were still alight, and when the night bombers dived below

clouds their crews saw their bright red glow.

"I saw a factory burning about a mile from the centre of the town,” a

Wellington pilot said. "Other fires were just starting. We bombed from about

2,000 feet.”

On the way out, in the brilliant moonlight over Northern France, a number of

German night fighters were seen which had boon roused by the return of the

Lancasters so short a time before.

Milan is the second largest city in Italy, with a population of nearly

1,000,000. Its inhabitants claim that it is really the capital of the country.

It is the richest manufacturing town and the main financial centre of Italy

and it is certainly the most important centre of railway communications. It has

three main railway stations.

Its industries include the manufacture of armaments and aircraft - especiallyat the great Breda factory - tanks, cables, rubber tyres, and much else.