R.A.F. ATTACK ON GERMANY

Southland Times, Issue 24240, 25 September 1940, Page 5

R.A.F. ATTACK ON GERMANY

BIG ALUMINIUM WORKS BOMBED FIRES BREAK OUT DURING RAID DAMAGE TO INVASION PORTS (British Official Wireless) (Received September 24, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 23. The Air Ministry announced

that high explosive bombs drop-

ped on the Lauta aluminium works started big fires. Bombs also hit the railway. Four fires occurred at the Torgau rail

junction, gutting a goods shed. The Germans have greatly strengthened the defences at the invasion ports. Guns followed the Royal Air Force bombers two miles out to sea. Fires lit up the whole coast from Calais to Flushing like carnival illuminations. Bombs dropped on a big ammunition dump at Ostend caused a terrific explosion. They also fell on the railway station and main docks. The railway to Le Havre was extensively damaged and docks and ships were set on fire. Many tons of high'explosive bombs and hundreds of incendiary bombs fell over the harbour. One ship blew up sky-high. It was the same story in other ports. A raider blew up nine barges drawn up on a beach five miles from Ostend. OIL REFINERIES ATTACKED Some details of the raids by the Royal Air Force on Nazi oil refineries are revealed by authoritative London quarters today. As early as the end of August, repeated attacks had been delivered on all important oil refineries in north-west and west Germany, which account for the bulk of the total German refinery capacity. The largest, of them possess storage installations which together form an important proportion of Germany’s total storage capacity, according to expert calculation. These attacks, in addition to reducing the production of lubricating oil, resulted in the destruction of a quantity of finished stocks. As for synthetic oil, 1,000,000 tons out of a total capacity of 2,500,000 tons is located in western Germany and has been heavily attacked during recent months. A further 1,250,000 tons capacity, including the famous works in Madgeburg and Leipzig, are being included in the Royal Air Force’s early autumn programme. The Stockholm correspondent of the British United Press says that the Royal Air Force last night bombed the Trondheim-Nordland railway. German anti-aircraft guns shot down one plane and are' reported to have damaged several. The Norwegian authorities refused to disclose the damage to the railway. Large German reinforcements are reported to have been sent to northern Norway during the last few days and placed in every important town from Trondheim to Kirkens. This probably explains the recent increase in the number of visits paid by the Royal Air Force to Northern Norway.

Royal Air Force bombers resumed their battering invasion of the Channel ports. German anti-aircraft batteries endeavoured to beat off wave' after wave of bombers, but the fury of the methodical raid did not abate. The weather was fine. In the Straits of Dover the sea was calm with a gentle westerly wind and a slight mist.