R.A.F. ATTACK ON HAMBURG

Southland Times, Issue 24228, 11 September 1940, Page 5

R.A.F. ATTACK ON HAMBURG

BOMBS CRASH ON DOCKS FIRES LEFT BURNING FIERCELY (British Official Wireless) (Received September 9, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 9; Royal Air Force bombers which made a concentrated attack on Hamburg last night were over the docks and ship yards in relays for more than three hours. Methodically pin-pointing their targets, they released salvo after salvo of heavy bombs and hundreds of incendiary bombs.

Repeatedly, sticks of heavy bombs were seen to crash across the docks and port installations. Many sticks of high explosives straddled the Blohm and Voss aircraft yards and fires broke out in many parts of the wide target area. Although some died down again, others caught and burned fiercely. The crew of one aircraft saw the wharves and railway station on the north bank of the Elbe burning, another fire at Hanshafen and the glow of a third down stream near Altona. One of the early raiders who dropped a stick of bombs across the docks saw two fires begin about 500 yards apart on the north bank, close to the mouth of the Elbe tunnel. LOW CLOUD FORMED By 11 p.m. low cloud had formed. A pilot arriving then said: “We could see little because of the clouds, haze, darkness and heavy anti-aircraft fire, but we did see our bombs straddle the docks.” Bombs could be seen bursting among the dockside buildings while a fierce anti-aircraft barrage continued. More fires broke out and they were burning fiercely as the bombers left. The glare in the sky over the docks could be seen from 60 miles away by the raiders on their homeward journey. During routine reconnaissance flights yesterday British bombers attacked shipping in the ports of Dunkirk and Boulogne and convoys in the North Sea. Five British aircraft are missing. Last night in spite of the severe weather over the Continental coastline, strong forces of bombers carried out operations against the enemy and enemy-occupied ports, barge concentrations and shipping at Hamburg, Bremen, Emden, Ostend, Calais and Boulogne. WIDESPREAD DAMAGE

Widespread damage was done to oil tanks and ammunition stores. Many fires were started. Eight British aircraft did not return.' ' The German wireless, describing the Royal Air Force raid on Hamburg, says: “Between 60 and 70 bombs fell, destroying 30 dwelling houses. No military objectives were hit. The British also bombed residential districts in Kiel and Lueneberg. The British air force is too weak and cowardly to meet the Germans in open battle and restricts itself to defence and night attacks against Germany.” “Fires have been started which are quite as big as anything I saw in London.” This was the description of the result of the bombs dropped by Royal Air Force aircraft on the Emden dockyard and made by a rear gunner who has been spending leave in London. ’ The attack on Emden was made on Sunday night at the same time as other British aircraft were bombing Boulogne. Some raiders on the occupied French

harbour, however, experienced difficult weather on the way to the target. Leaving England in fine conditions the aircraft encountered electrical storms after a half-hour’s journey. As freezing level was only 6000 feet, it was impossible to rise above and they were unable to get below as it went down as far as the ground level. Describing the voyage the pilot of one aircraft said: “Our aircraft was being thrown about the sky. It was absolutely impossible to keep a steady speed or height. Once or twice we were jerked up at least 600 feet by an electrical current. When we got over the target the port engine was hit and there was a burst of flame as the oil started burning. Then the flames disappeared, but'we were running on an engine and a-half for the rest of the time. On the way back ,we found the wireless out of action because of the storm. It was largely thanks to the navigator that we got home. He gave me courses which brought us in dead over the aerodrome. Just as we were turning in to land the port engine failed completely.”