ITALIAN ACTION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 161, 7 June 1940, Page 7

ITALIAN ACTION

ALL COAST MINED. ZONE ANNOUNCED. ( . - " . ’ POPE’S PEACE APPEAL. (United Press Association —-.By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Deceived June 7, 10.30 a.m. HOME, June 6. Tlie announcement of a 12-mile danzer zone for all ships along the Italian coast, made by the Government, is regarded as indicating that the zone has already been mined or is being mined. It is also announced that the sounding of sirens at midday, which hitherto has been only a time signal, henceforth will mean an actual air raid warning, except on Sundays, when the system will be tested. The danzer zone embraces tlie coasts of Italy, Albania and the Italian colonies. Ships must obtain authorisation from Italian consular or military authorities to approach the coast. Failure to comply will be at their own risk. The Pope is reported to have sent a message to Mussolini expressing the •hope that Italy will remain aloof from the war. A message from Panama City says the Italian liner Conte de Bianamano has been ordered to remain at Balboa indefinitely. TURKISH MEASURES. ISTANBUL, June 6. Partial evacuation of the city and the adoption of air raid precautions have been ordered. The Government is paying for the removal of unemployed persons. VAST OIL FIRES. CHEATED BY R.A.F. BOMBERS. DAMAGE IN GERMANY. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 6. Further information relating to activities by the R.A.F. is now available. From shortly before midnight on Tuesday until the early hours of Wednesday morning strong forces of bombers ranged over North-West Germany, setting oil storage plants ablaze and wrecking rail communications at numerous centres from Dortmund in the north to Mannheim in the south. At Frankfurt a large oil storage depot was systematically bombed by relays of aircraft for nearly one and a-half hours, and at the height of the attack the glow from the mass of flames enveloping the oil tanks lit up the river for many miles and plainly illuminated aircraft flying 5000 ft above the target area. At the same time an attack in equal strength was being directed against an important oil storage plant between Dusseldorf and Cologne. Numerous explosions were seen to break out in all parts of the target area and the fires started bv the. earlier attackers were 'constantly rekindled by later arrivals.

Soon after midnight the greater part of this storage plant appeared to be ablaze. Half-an-hour after the attack a British raider on its way home from another mission passed close to the still burning target and its crew saw a violent explosion followed by fresh emotions of flames and smoke. Oil supplies further south were attacked with equally .evident success when direct hits were registered on an extensive, oil storage plant near Mannheim. The first bombs were dropped on this target shortly before midnight and flames were seen to spread rapidlv. The following aircraft, guided by the raging fires, completed the destruction of the plant. TANKS EXPLODE. An isolated group of tanks was seen to explode after two direct hits by salvoes of heavy bombs. Streaming oil ignited by incendiary bombs scattered all over the target and quickly became a mass of raging fires, reddening the night sky. and being visible to aircraft crews flying more than a hundred miles away from the scene of the vast conflagration. Railway communications over a wide area of Germany were also successfully attacked and extensive damage caused to tracks and rolling stock. A direct hit with a heavy calibre bomb on the rail track at Ilomburg, near Frankfurt, caused numerous minor explosions and a vivid display of green flashes as though an electric power line had been struck. Intense opposition from gun batteries and searchlights was encountered in many parts* of Germany throughout the night and several of the R.A.F. aircraft suffered minor damage. All but one returned safely to their bases.