BOMBS ON BERLIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24418, 2 October 1940, Page 7

BOMBS ON BERLIN

LONGEST RAID YET

; OTHER TARGETS ATTACKED

METHODICAL BATTERING

(By, Wireless) . ■; London, Oct. i. : ■ (Received Oct. 1, at 11.45 p.m.) : Bombers of the R.A.F. again reached Berlin in their : raids over Germany last night. An interim communique of the British Air Ministry merely states that a raid was made on the German capital, but neutral agents in Berlin report that the city had its longest alarm of the war, the people remaining in their shelters for 5 hours 8 minutes. Despite heavy anti-aircraft fire, the British planes were able to cross and recross the city for a considerable time. One bomb fell a few streets away from the Associated Press building.

■ The German press said that the damage to military objectives was insignificant.

British bombers also had targets in other parts of Germany last night, and watchers on the south coast of Britain saw evidence that the R.A.F. was giving its usual attention to enemy-occupied ports across the Channel, the main centres of the attack evidently being Calais and the German long-range guns at Cap Gris Nez. It is reported that there are now at least 25 long-range guns mounted along the French coast between Boulogne and Calais.

The Bremen radio announced that several British planes raided thickly-populated residential quarters in Cologne. Incendiaries and explosives caused 16 casualties, four being fatal.

“Attacks on oil plants figured irnong the operations against the enemy carried out by the Royal Air Force oh Sunday night,” states the Air Ministry news service. “ There was a heavy attack on the oil. refinery and storage plant at Magdeburg. The plant, .knbwh as Braunkohlen Benzin A.G., situated 200 miles inland from Germany’s western frontier, was subjected to a series of raids which began shortly after 11 p;m. and continued’ for nearly -three hours. Ground haze over the city and the 'glare of many searchlights hampered the ,bomber crews in the early stages of the attack, but later many fires started by incendiaries illuminated the target. Attacking in shallow dives and often from a low level the raiders straddled the oil plant with high explosives, leaving a trail of multi-coloured fires and spasmodic, explosions in their wake. The raiders taking part in this attack also bombed a railway at the southern exit of the city and started fires close to a main line junction.

“ Meanwhile at Stuttgart, 260 miles away in Western Germany, other forces of heavy bombers launched attacks against a large coal gas plant and the Bosch, factory which produces magnetos, sparking plugs and other electrical equipment for German services. A stick of heavy calibre bombs fell across the gasworks and caused 10 separate explosions, accorhpanied by brilliant white flashes. The Bosch works were subjected to a 15 minutes’ bombardment from varying heights, and are believed to have been heavily hit, as a large fire was seen blazing in the area as the bombing ceased. “The aluminium factory at Bitterfeld. 20 .miles north of Leipzig, and rail communications and centres were other targets in Germany successfully attacked during the night. “ Other night raiding forces, maintaining their pressure on possible invasion bases, attacked shipping concentrations and harbours at Gstend, Flushing, Calais, Boulogne, and Lorient.” , -