PILOTS FLY LOW

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 259, 31 July 1942, Page 5

PILOTS FLY LOW

Forced To Take Risks Over Hamburg (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 29. Last night’s attack on Hamburg was marked by a deterioration of the weather over Germany which made it difficult to observe results and increased the risks of the attack, states the Air Ministry news service. Storms and icing clouds were experienced along the whole route, with continuous cloud over Hamburg. In spite of the weather a large part of the force reached and bombed Hamburg. It was very clear under the cloud, and some of the crews bombed from 1000 feet, but the machines were silhouetted against the cloud and exposed to the full force of the formidable defences. Fighters on offensive sweeps attacked more than 20 goods trains in occupied France and enemy shipping in the Channel. Three fighters are missing. Railway engines, barges, German army lorries, and shipping, were among the targets attacked by a small force of Spitfires between Calais and Ostend yesterday. Suggestions that a gentlemen’s agreement exists between the British and the Germans that they shall not bomb each other’s capitals are authoritatively denied in London. A gentlemen’s agreement witli Germany, it is pointed out, would be a contradiction In terms. The Germans would not adhere to any such agreement, which they would break the moment it suited them. It was coin* mented: “There is a good time coming for Berlin.” Mounting Weight of Bombs. The continuity of the Bomber Command’s, attacks on the German war machine can be gauged from tlie fact that during the month which ended on July 25 there were only three periods of 24 hours when no operations took place. The raids Included 13 in which the bombing force exceeded 300 machines. The bomb tonnage dropped was not quite the heaviest recorded, but if the two months from May 25 to July 25 are taken the total tonnage dropped substantially exceeded that dropped during any other two months of the war. Tiie figures for these two months compared favourably witli Hie German tonnage dropped during tlie similar period of attacks on Britain. More than 500 tons were dropped on Duisburg on July 25, and 700 tons on Hamburg on July 20.