INVASION BASES

Taranaki Daily News, 18 September 1940, Page 7

INVASION BASES

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

British Official Wireless.

BRITISH OBJECTIVES SWEEPING NIGHT RAID NAZI PORTS HAMMERED

Rugby, Sept. 16. Invasion bases on the Dutch, Belgian and French coasts were again the chief objectives of Sunday night's raids by bomber squadrons of the Royal Air Force. The night's heaviest attack was directed against the docks at Antwerp, where great fleets of barges and many shlps had been accumulated during recent weeks. In the raid, which began half an hour before midnight and was kept up for close on three hours, many tons of high explosives and 100 incendiary bombs were unloaded on docks and shipping by relays of heavy bombers. Bright moonlight in the early stages of the attack clearly revealed the many barges moored in the dock basin. The barges which were struck and set ablaze exploded in flashes of flames which lit j the whole dock. A goods yard caught fire ' and buildings were wrecked. A trail of i fire following a series of explosions | spread rapidly along the quayside, enI gulfing warehouses and other buildings in its course. By 1.30 a.m. one or. the main wharves was a mass of flames. Other growing fires could be seen in all parts of the docks. Four-hour Attack on Ostend. At Ostend shipping and docks were subjected to a series of intermittent raids by heavy and medium bombers over a period of four hours. In the first attack, launched shortly after midnight, a line of bombs burst across the docks of the outer harbour. A second stick, falling at one end of a basin, struck what appeared to be a large transport vessel which immediately caught fire. The following attackers straddled the basin and shipping wharf with a line of high explosive bombs and started a number of fires which later, merging into one great blaze, lit up the clouds 5000 feet above the town. Other bombs caused heavy explosions I which were seen by one aircraft while it was 15 miles from the target. Attacks on Boulogne were delivered by a force of medium bombers. Visibility by | moonlight was good and making full use ' of the available cloud the bomber pilots attacked the targets by diving through gaps, climbing quickly back into the clouds' cover after dropping their bombs. Repeated hits were scored alongside two of the main basins, on shipping, on the jetty formerly used by the cross

Channel steamers and on the southern half of the mole. At Dunkirk extensive damage was caused by medium bombers which scored direct hits on docks and harbour equipment. « One tremendous flash seen 20 miles away was caused by a violent explosion which broke out ln No. 4 dock. Here the fire was still raging more than two hours later. In the raid on Calais and Flushing bombers' crews reported frequent hits on the docks and quayside and many outbreaks of fire in ships along the quay. Calais is believed to have been set on fire and a white fire which broke out on the edge of the west basin was still burning strongly 30 minutes later. Berlin was again visited early on Mond^y morning by a harassing force which bombed military objectives to the northwest of the city and the TempelhofT airport and attacked a power station which was damaged in a previous raid.

Berlin's Two Alarms. The raiders, whose visit gave Berliners their first two alarms in one night, met anti-aircraft fire but none of the aircraft was hit. In the coujse of attacks on German rail centres other heavy bomber forces raided Osnabruck, where six heavy calibre bombs were seen to burst across a goods yard, and Soest, where heavy explosions^ occurred in the railway yards. Some time after bombs were seen to strike the target at Krefeld fires started. A goods train standing in a yard was hit. Six buildings collapsed when six bombs fell across them at Hamm, which has been described as the nerve centre the German rail transport. Fire started at sidings could be seen 20 miles away. During an attack on long-range gun emplacements at Cap Gris-Nez, near Calais, searchlights adjacent to the guns were bombed and extinguished. The surrounding woods were set on fire and the emplacements were lcft encircled by a fire which was visible many miles out to sea. Waves of Blenheims. Attacks on concentrations of German vessels at Channel ports were made by waves of Blenheims. Two ships were 1 damaged when Blenheims attacked a | convoy off Sangatte near Calais. The I main attack, however, was reserved for | Le Havre, where the pilots of the first ! wave of Blenheims saw four large ships moored alongside a deep water quay. Repeated salvoes of bombs struck squarely on the quay. There were fires when the Blenheims flew away. Pilots in the second wave made their attack in bright moonlight. Amid intense anti-aircraft fire the Blenheims dived over the" harbour and bombed systematically. Bombs burst among the ships. Direct hits were 3een on a fishtail pier, Jeannes Couvert Quay, Quai tje New Vork and Deep Water Quay. Damaged ships, shattered masonry and store houses were the results of the bombings. "Last night the R.A.F. again bombed military objectives in Berlin," states an Air Ministry communique. It adds that further heavy attacks were made on concentrations of war supplies, barges and shipping at dockyards and the ports oi Hamburg, Wilhclmshaven, Antwerp, Flushing, Ostend, Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne. Other 'forces of R.A.F. bombers attacked distribution centres at Hamm, Osnabruck, Soest? and Krefeld, and the goods yards at Hamburg. The railway junction at Rheine was also bombed. Direct hits were made on an enemy warship off Terschelling. An oil tanker and a supply ship ln the Elbe Estuary were severely damaged. Aircraft of the coastal command sank an enemy

supply ship off Ijmuiden. Convoys off the Dutch coast were also attacked. Two supply ships were sunk and others were severely damaged. Attacks were also made on shipping and docks at Le Havre. where ships along the quays themselves were repeatcdly hit. From all of thesf extensive and successful operations all aircraft returned safely.