ENEMY SHIPPING ATTACKED

Southland Times, Issue 24227, 10 September 1940, Page 7

ENEMY SHIPPING ATTACKED

BARGES IN CHANNEL PORTS BOMBED

DIRECT HITS SCORED BY R.A.F. FIRES IN BLACK FOREST. SPREAD (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, September 8. An Air Ministry communique issued this evening states that dete'rmined attacks on enemy shipping in the occupied Channel ports were pressed home by British bombers on Saturday night in spite of poor visibility and vigorous defences.

At Calais bombs burst between the basin and the entrance to the harbour. Direct hits were made on barges in the harbour at Ostend and more barge concentrations were heavily attacked at Dunkirk. Crossing the coast other bombers attacked the Krupps works at Essen and more factories at Emden and Zweibrucken. Explosions followed bombing attacks on the rail depots at Mannheim, Ehrang and Hamm. In the Black Forest more attacks were made on war materials stored in the woods and great fires were started. GUN EMPLACEMENTS BOMBED Gun emplacements and searchlight batteries near Calais were bombed and in an attack on the Colmar aerodrome bombs fell through the roof of the hangar and flames, bursting through the doors, set fire to aircraft outside. Other aerodromes attacked were at Gilzerijen, Wesel and Krefrid in Germany, at Brussels in Belgium and at Querqueville in France and Soesterburg and Eindhoven in Holland. J From these widespread operations all our aircraft returned. An earlier Air Ministry communique reported that the Royal Air- Force had raided Calais and St. Omer aerodromes, causing an explosion at St. Omer and

setting fire to Le Touquet and the neighbouring forest. Aerodromes at Dunkirk, Abbeville and Fort de Guines were also bombed. The Fleet Air Arm and Coastal Command scored numerous hits on the docks, buildings and railway sidings at Boulogne. The fires in the Black Forest continue to spread westward and northward. A member of the Royal Air Force counted three groups of 36 fires with a southerly wind whipping them up. Plane losses since the outbreak of war to September 6 were: German 3842 Italian 128 British 1152 BRITAIN AS CHAMPION OF FREEDOM

(Received September 9, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 8.

The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Cosmo Lang) in a broadcast address on Sunday evening on the National Day of Prayer said: “After a year of war our country finds itself alone. We have many friends on both sides of the ocean, but the nations of the British Commonwealth stand as the solitary champion of freedom in Europe. We do not complain. It is an honour to hold the fort with the flag of liberty still flying. It is an even greater honour to hold it alone. We are proud of the honour.”