FEARLESS R.A.F. RAIDS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 127, 29 April 1940, Page 7

FEARLESS R.A.F. RAIDS.

NAZI OPERATIONS CHECKED. SUPPLIES HAMPERED. LONDON, April 2G. Tiled full story of the series of raids i hv the Royal Air Force oil the Norwegian front, which began yesterday afternoon and lasted far into the night, reveals that successful attacks were made against 16 supply and transport ships, a military encampment, a quay, an oil depot, a refinery, and a* flying-boat. Fearless daylight raids inflicted fierce blows on the German supply lines from Oslo Fiord and fiords near Bergen and Stavanger. The Air Force had' carefully watched for days German operations in Hardanger Fiord and Granvig Fiord, which pontrate 50 miles east from Bergen, and soon after midday yesterday the first section of Bristol-Blen-h-eim bombers swarmed up the narrow Grandvig Fiord and attacked a transport ship. A heavy bomb exploded within 10 yards of the vessel. The bombers then dropped a salvo on the quayside at Granvig, registering direct hits. The second section of bombers went to Ulvig and found a 2000-ton supply ship and a military encampment which had recently been pitched near the shore. Two bombers reported that after they had bombed the supply ship the vessel was seen lying on its side. The attack on the encampment was also successful. As one of the Blenheims turned for home it sighted two Dorniers. The Blenheim attacked one, which plunged flaming into the water, and then engaged the second, not giving up until the pilot of the Blenheim was wounded in the face and hand. BASES SET ON FIRE. The Bomber Command again struck at night. Several bombs hit the boundary of the Stavanger Aerodrome where enemy ’planes were drawn up in line on the ground. The raiders rained incendiary and higli-explosive bombs on the seaplane base, starting several liros. 'The flames wore still visible some hours later from a distance of six miles. 1 The Blenheims attacked four ships, each of 4500 tons, near Stavanger. Incendiary bombs straddled the ships, whoso docks were also machine-gunned. Simultaneously -the R.A.F. bombed 10 large supply ships m Oslo Fiord. Enemy ships and coastal batteries opened fire. The weather concealed the. full results of the bombing of the ships, but direct hits were’ registered on a vessel of 5000 tons. Others are believed to be badly damaged. Oil tanks and a refinery at Vailo. higher up the fiord, wore subjected to three separate attacks with incendiary bombs. Most ol the target area was ablaze, including the refinery and oil tanks on each side. The pilot said : “The whole place was well alight by the, time wc left.”