IMMENSE ATTACKS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 259, 30 September 1940, Page 7

IMMENSE ATTACKS

GREAT AREA COVERED

VITAL POINTS HIT

(British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 11.35 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 29. The surprising number of place names is a feature of a detailed statement issued by the Air Ministry in a bulletin regarding the R.A.F. attacks on Germany last night. The bulletin states that the power stations at Berlin, the dockyards at Bremen and Wilhelmshaven, the munition factory at Hanau, and rail communication centres over a wide area of Germany were among the many objectives attacked. Other strong forces, operating at shorter range, raided North Sea and Channel ports from Antwero to Le Havre.

The weather conditions over Germany last night were extremely bad, with low clouds entirely covering many of the target areas, ’llnd downward visibility was often restricted to an occasional glimpse through a momentary break in. the cloud layer. Despite this handicap to navigation, the raiders detailed, for Berlin completed their 600 miles flight to the German capital, arriving over the city on schedule about midnight. They located and bombed the West, power station and the main transformer and. switching station at Friedriehsfelde. High-explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped, and bursts were seen close to the ,targets. A successful attack was also made on the railway junction at Stendal, some 65 miles due west of Berlin. A series of attacks bv heavy bombers was made on the naval dockyard at Wilhelmshaven in the early hours of the morning. Bomb bursts were seen within the dock area and one well-aim-ed stick caused an explosion and an outbreak of fire.

The clocks at Bremen were also bombed in a high-level attack carried out shortly after 2 o’clock in the morning.

IMPORTANT FACTORY HIT.

Strong forces of heavy bombers penetrating deep into Western Germany attacked the .large munition factory at Hanau, 15 miles east of Frankfurt-on-Main. This’ important plant, which produces metal alloys for aeroplanes, torpedo and submarine parts, also bronze bearings' for the variable pitch airscrew, was heavily bombed in shallow dive attacks.

One of the first sorties scored direct hits on the factory buildings, causing great explosions and fires, which led the following'aircraft directly to the target. Sticks of high-explosive bombs repeatedly straddled the plant. A large rectangular ounding, its roof fallen in, was seen to be enveloped in a mass of flames, and great clouds of black smoke from many other fires burning in the target area towered thousands of feet into the air. One of the aircraft detailed to attack the Hanau factory but unable tc reach it owing to temporary engine trouble, located and bombed instead' the oil storage plant at Frankfurt. Its highexplosive bombs straddled the target, and one great explosion was seen after a load of incendiaries had been.dropped. Other night raiders, concentrating on rail communications, scored direct hits on the junction at Hamburg, bombed the main line station at Hanover, and started fires in a wood bordering the' railway line near Ommen (12 miles east of Zwolle). Railway yards and sidings at Munster, Hamm, Cologne, and Mannheim were also attacked. At Cologne explosions which continued for ten minutes were seen to break out in the target area, and at Hamm, where bombs straddled the yard from north to south, a building close to the tracks was set ablaze. A direct hit was scored on the flarepath of an aerodrome near Bassenheim. Other aerodromes in Germany on which bombs were dropped during the night were those at Magdeburg, Munster, and Handorf.

BASES SMASHED

In Holland the enemy-occupied air bases at Texel and Eindhoven were attacked.

In the night’s counter-offensive operations against the German invasion bases the heaviest \ attacks were launched against Boulogne and Le Havre. The shipping docks at Frecamp, Wimmereux, Antwerp, and Dunkirk were also bombed. On arrival at Le Havre one pilot saw a large fire a quarter of a mile west of the harbour as the result of an earlier attack during the night. Another fire was also burning strongly. More bombs were added to the blaze, many bursts being seen in the dock area, and among the seaside buildings more fires broke out.

Our aircraft were over Le Havre for a full two hours, and besides the damage to the docks two direct hits are believed to have been scored on merchant vessels in the harbour. Flames leapt from bomb bursts in the harbour. At Calais incendiaries fell alongside the inner basin and heavier bombs on the wharves. . At Fecamp the harbour was hit, and more fires were started at Boulogne. At the Antwerp docks three or lour are believed to have been, straddled, but low drifting clouds handicapped detailed observations. Heavy bombs were also dropped amoim the gun positions at Cape Gris Nez, 'their bursts being seen through haze and cloud well within the target area.