GERMANY HARD HIT

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 45, 16 November 1940, Page 12

GERMANY HARD HIT

Royal Air Force Raids HEAVY ATTACKS ON BERLIN LONDON, November 15. Britain continues to hit Germany just as hard as she is hitting Italy. Last night the Royal Air Force carried out heavy and successful attacks on military objectives in Berlin. The German.-; admit the Berlin raid and say the R.A.F. sent over stronger units than ever before. An official statement says that “only eight or 10 planes succeeded in reaching the capital.” but later this went up to “only 15.” Later other reports were given, all different. Neutral reports state that the rani caused the greatest confusion on the underground and on buses and trams. According to other reports dozens of British planes could be seen in the moonlight and it was not till 2 a.m. that the ‘‘raiders passed” signal was given. Attacks on Previous Night. (British Official Wireless.i RUGBY, November 14. British bombers reached Berlin soon after 8 o'clock (British Summer Time) last night, and for some 20 minutes subjected objectives in the centre of the city, as well as the Schlesischer station and a junction in the Potsdam area, to swift assault. The Grunewald sorting yards were also attacked and six large tires were started. Bad weather hindered the. bombaimers, as well as handicapping the defence, and both relied on occasional clear patches in a heavily-overcast sky. No raiding aircraft were hit and they managed to reach their targets, as fires and explosions testified. Elsewhere over Germany weather conditions were even worse, the attacking forces having encountered fog, rain, snow and violent electrical storms. A heavy attack, however, was delivered on the Farbeu oil plant at Leuna, which was subjected to a series of attacks at intervals for more than two hours. Great fires were burning with a red flame and emitting clouds of black smoke. Four other oil refineries—•one at Cologne, one at Hanover, and two at Gelsenkirscheit—were also successfully attacked. Many other secondary targets, such as docks, munition works, and railways were also bombed by other British aircraft. They included an electrical power station at Cologne, inland docks at Duisberg and Ruhrort, industrial targets at Dortmund and Ousseldorf and a battery of coke ovens at Lintfort. Bursts were observed on all these targets. Other aircraft attacked aerodromes at Haamsten and Kreuzbruck, north of Berlin. Lubeck, and the seaplane base at Norderney. Docks at Calais and Wilhelmshaven were also bombed.