ENEMY TERRITORY PENETRATED DEEPLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 221, 17 September 1940, Page 7

ENEMY TERRITORY PENETRATED DEEPLY.

ÜBIQUITOUS R.A.F. Nazi Military Objectives Seriously Damaged. British Official Wireless. (Reed, noon.) RUGBY, Sept. 16. Last night the Royal Air Force again bombed military objectives in Berlin, states an Air Ministry communique, which adds: "Further heavy attacks were made on concentrations of war supplies, barges and shipping at - dockyards, and the ports of Hamburg, Willielmshaven, Antwerp, Flushing, Ostend, Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne. "Other forces of Royal Air Force bombers attacked distribution centres at Hamin, Oenaburck, Soest and Krefeld, and goods yards at Hamburg. The railway junction at Rheine was also bombed. "Direct hits were made on an enemy warship off Terschelling. An oil tanker supply ship in the Elbe E6tUary was severely damaged. "From all these extensive successful operations ali our aircraft returned safely." Saturday Night's Raids.

Large forces of British bombers ranged on Saturday night over Germany, France, Belgium and Holland, systematically seeking out and breaking up the German High Command's invasion machine. Flying through appalling weather—aircraft were struck by lightning and radio aerials were burned off in a violent electric storm, and many machines were iced up —the raiders struck heavily at the invasion's front line in the Channel ports of Holland, France and Belgium, and attacked bases, railway junctions and transport centres in Germany, whence come its reserves and supplies. One British machine was lost. One of the night's most devastating onslaughts was made on Antwerp. Havoc was caused in the vast network of docks, warehouses and petrol sheds on the banks of the Scheldt, and shipping lying in the stream, as large forces of bombers dropped nearly 40 tons of high-eXploSive bombs and over 1000 incendiary bombs in an attack, lasting from 11 p.m. until 1.30 a.m. on Sunday. Large' numbers of barges were found in Ostend harbour where the defences have been considerably strengthened during the past week. Many barges were in the outer harbour, the main west dock and No. 1 basin, and these were all bombed. Huge Fire at Calais. The port of Calais, shipping, long-range guns, anti-aircraft batteries and searchlight concentrations were all bombed heavily by the R.A.F. from 8.30 p.m. until nearly 11 p.m. on Saturday night. While some of the raiders attacked the harbour and shipping concentrations inside it others sought out the big guns near by and started fires in these target areas.

A huge fire was begun arter one aircraft had attacked barges in Calais harbour, and another pilot flying through cloud into moonlight clearly saw and bombed the various basins. Bombs burst on the wharf buildings, and barges in No. 6 dock suffered particularly severe damage. One pilot reported that some minutes after he had dropped high-explo-sive bombs among the barges there was a big explosion from the middle of the dock and flames shot upward. Another pilot said: "I could actually see my bombs burst right on the concentration of barges on the east side of No. 6 dock. The last two scored a direct hit on a 5000-ton iperchant ship at the north end of the dock, and clouds of dense smoke began to come out of her. No. 6 dock was filled with barges, and I estimate there were about 300 of them." One aircraft was held in the blinding glare of 10 searchlights. It was hit in several places and there was intense tracer fire. All the same the pilot made his attack and hit the north end of Carnot Basin.

PRAYERS OF THANKS. SERVICE AT CATHEDRAL. (Reed. 2 p.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 10. Special pravere of thanks for safety of the fabric of the cathedral were said at St. Paul's to-day when the first luncheon service since the removal of the unexploded bomb was held. The officiating canon gave thanks for the courage, skill and devotion to duty of the men -<ho disposed of the bomb.