TRAIL OF DAMAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24414, 27 September 1940, Page 7

TRAIL OF DAMAGE

RAIDS ON ENEMY BASES BERLIN AMONG TARGETS INVASION PORTS HARASSED (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, Sept. 25. Jh extensive R.A.F. operations against the enemy on Tuesday night, which included a long raid on Berlin, details of which are already known, as well as continuation of the systematic attacks of recent nights on enemy invasion ports, only two of the aircraft employed were lost. Finkenheer's electric power station: near. Frankfurt-on-Oder, more than 300 miles from Germany's western frontier, was located half an hour before midnight, and twice attacked with sticks of high-explo-sive bombs, which were seen to burst in and around the target. The main railway line near Magdeburg and the rail depot and distributing centre at Hamm were also attacked, and a number of explosions on the main sidings and sheds at Hamm were followed by a line of fires. . Goods yards at Brussels were also attacked, the Hanover aerodrome was bombed from a high level, and at The Hague, to the north of Emden, where night flying by the enemy was in progress, a British raider came down to 2000 feet to drop his bombs on a hangar and runway.. The flare revealed the wreckage of a hangar destroyed by the previous attack. Fires at Hamburg "While the long-distance raids on Germany were in progress, other strong forces of bombers, operating at short range, kept up their nightlv hammering of the enemy's invasion ports from Hamburg to Le Havre. Fires were started at Hamburg docks. Bombs straddled the shipping bases at Cherbourg and at the Dutch port of Delfzijl. At Ostend repeated hits were scored on the ba?ins and on the harbour jetties. " Calais docks were the target for one of the night's heaviest bombardments. Thev were subjected to a series of attacks lasting for nearly seven hours. Barges lying alongside the quays were hit and fires and explosions v/ere seen in many parts of the-harbour. Before 4 o'clock on Wednesday morning more than 30 fires were counted burning within the docks. . At Le Havre the raids began at 10 p.m. and continued at intervals until s.o'clock on Wednesday. The lock "gates were hit. warehouses set alight, and'many other Ares started. A violent explosion marked a direct Hit Oh what appeared to be the harbour .power station. . opposition from the ground defences" was' encountered at Boulogne; Direct hits were claimed here on the wall of one dock and on jetties between basins and in many parts of the outer harbour. A particularly big explosion, followed by fire, was seen to occur in No. 7 dock. The German, long-range gun positions at Cap Gris Nez were also attacked shortly before dawn, and

numbers of hits -registered on the new emplacements under construction. German Version of Raids It is officially stated that a number of British planes again attempted to attack Berlin last night. Strong anti-aircraft fire prevented the attackers from aiming their bombs, most of which fell in open country. Several dwellings were hit in various suburbs, causing casualties among the population. Incendiaries fell on a hospital. Energetic safety measures prevented damage. Further details of the extent of the damage cannot yet be given. The radio stated: "The British again attemnted last night organised murder on Berlin's civil population. Single planes reached the irtner area bombing the densely inhabited working class districts and hospitals marked with the Red Cross. The murderous pilots, carrying out Mr Churchill's orders, did not hit military objectives. This infamy the Luftwaffe is answering with all the means at its disposal." . / FIRES BEAT NAZIS SEQUEL TO R.A.F. ATTACK RADIO ORDER T 0 GERMANS LONDON, Sept. 19. An urgent official broadcast over the German radio network, stating that the whole German fire-fighting services were unable to cope with the existing fires, provides the most striking evidence yet of the terrific devastation caused by the R.A.F. its latest bombing raids over Germany. The announcer said: " Germans! You must yourselves fight the bomb fires which have been caused bv enemy fire bombs. You mustn't call on the fire brigades. They are already busy handling large fires. "As soon as a fire is started, all the inhabitants in the area must concentrate on the burning building, and do their utmost to extinguish the flames. "Should you be unable to do this without professional aid. then you must appeal for assistance to still more neighbours. Only after you have done everything possible withous success to auell the outbreak should vou call the fire brigade. "It should be remembered that, even then, the brigade mieht not be available. Therefore, vou must do vour best to keen the fire under control until the brigade is able to come to vour help." This announcement followed a successful R.A.F.' raid on Hamburg, where the R.A.F. drooped timebombs, fire-bombs, and high explosive bombs, causins great damage in the large industrial areas. The moonlight attack took the German defences by surprise.