FLAMING RUINS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 163, 10 June 1940, Page 7

FLAMING RUINS

NAZI OIL DEPOTS. R.A.F. STRIKE HOME. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received June 10, 10.58 a.m. RUGBY, June 9. Tlie Air Ministry announces : “Throughout Saturday R.A.F. medium bombers continued their attacks on the enemy’s lines of communications, including road junctions and river crossings behind the fighting fronts. Troop concentrations and columns of armoured fighting vehicles were also sought out and bombed. Two of our aircraft are missing. “These operations were continued during the night. The northern entrances to Amiens and key points in the Abbeville area were attacked by heavy bombers, and ammunition dumps concealed in wooded areas in the Ardennes were blown up. Othfer formations of heavy bombers made night attacks on military objectives over a wide area, ranging from the Ardennes north-eastward to Rhenish Prussia and the Ruhr. “Bombing and machine-gun attacks were made , by Coastal ' Command aircraft on oil storage tanks at Ghent during the night. Extensive damage was done and many fires were started. All the aircraft engaged in the night operations returned. Ten enemy aircraft, including seven bombers, were shot down by our fighters yesterday. Two of ours are missing. The Air Ministry News Service states that eight R.A.F. Hurricanes on patrol over the fighting zone in France yesterday met a formation of 20 Heinkel 111 Bombers and shot down six. Ten Messerschmitt 109 fighters escorting the enemy bombers were unable to give them effective protection against the Hurricanes’ 'attack. One of the Messersclimitts was also shot down. Two. of the Hurricanes are missing. RAIN OF BOMBS. Scores of heavy bombs were dropped last night on oil depots in enemyoccupied territory at Ghent' with effective results. The Coastal Command medium bombers, which carried out the raid, all returned without damage. One cluster of oil tanks was already blazing fiercely when a second wave ql bombers arrived. They placed their bombs, therefore, on other oil reservoirs silhouetted by the flames. These, too, were set alight. When the following aircraft found their targets had been set fire to already they aimed their bombs so as to widen the burning areas—every tjme with success. So widespread and high were the flames rising from the oil tanks that one pilot in the last stage of the attack thought it would be a waste of bombs to drop any more in the cauldron.

The glare of the flames revealed five railway lines, two of which were filled with covered waggons. The pilot was able to obtain very precise results on this unexpected target. As the waggons blew up there was a succession ,of great explosions. There were also explosions followed by.erup- ' tions of black smoke, when , another aircraft made four hits on a further section of' large oil containers. The pilot of another aircraft released all his bombs in a single salvo which set at least two more oil tanks alight. Then he came down low and pierced other tanks with bullets from a machine-gun. Escaping fuel was set on fire by tracer bullets and added to the scene of flaming ruin. GALLANT OFFICER. ' Amongst the names of officers of the R.A.F., awarded decorations is FligbtLieuteiiant *G. A. Leathart, wlio nas been given the D.S.O. During May this officer led a squadron on a large number of offensive patrols over Northern France. On one occasion an attack was made on a formation of no fewer than 60 enemy aircraft. In company with the squadron he has shot down 15 Messerschmitts, and possibly one Heinkel 111 and one Junkers 88 during the month. He also flew a trainer aircraft to the Calais aerodrome to rescue a squadron-commander who had been shot down there but was uninjured. Whilst taking off after the rescue an attack was made by. 12 Messerschmitt 109’s, but with great coolness and skilful, evasive tactics he succeeded in shaking off the enemy, landing again without damage. Subsequently he took off and flew back to England unescorted. • The Air Ministry’s 33rd casualty list, contains 248 names and includes 150 missing, among whom is acting-Wing-Commander H. M. Mellor, a former air equerry and assistant pilot to the Duke of Windsor when he was Prince of Wales. A Paris message says that Francois Beaudoin, a member of the Air Force, is the third , deputy to be awarded the Croix de Guerre for gallantry.