LONG RAIDS

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1940, Page 8

LONG RAIDS

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

SEVERE ATTACK ADMISSION OF DAMAGE GASWORKS MAIN TARGET

Rec. 11 p.m. London, Sept. 2d. Royal Air Force planes were over p. "n again durir.g the night. Berlin admits that an air raid alarm which lasted two hours 50 minutes sent Berliners scurrying to shelters di >g the night. High explosive -and incendiary bombs were dropped, resulting in civilian victims. The raiders appeared to be fewer than on the previous n;2ht. It is officially admitted at Berlin that the previous night's raiders scored duect hits on two factories and that the flames of fires in the north of Berlin were not controlled until late in the day. Bombs were dropped beside a gasworks, after which pressure was very low in homes over a wide area. Intra-urban railways were damaged and traffic was interrupted, one line being closed all the mornjng. , The evening newspapers featured the Royal Air Force's "wicked attack on Berlin civilians" and revealed that there was- a bonib crater at the gasworks * 30ft wide. Other bombs, they said, tore huge holes in a dozen apartment houses and destroyed houses on the outskirts of the city. Lare Fires Caused. Berlin's previous night's attack was the most serious attack it had yet suffered, causing two large fires. The German news agency announced that several British planes fiew over the northern and eastern suburbs of Berlin droppirg bombs and deliberately attacking residential quarters. Dwellings were damaged and several civilians were killed and injured. There was no military damage. . Reports from neutral sources mdicate that the British bombers arrived in waves and apparently set fire to at least two warehouses or factories. Anti-aircraft fragments peppered Berlin throughout the raid. The authorities state that mostly incendiaries were dropped. Most of the fires were extinguished. Some idea of the wearing tactics employed over Berlin by the Royal Air Force may be gauged from the fact that after the first bombs were dropped shortly before 11 p.m. the bombing was continued on an average of about 4J-minute intervals for several hours. Throughout those hours British aircraft were constantly over the city in relays. Some of them remained above the targets anything up to 50 minutes, despite unfavourable weather conditions, so as to aim their bombs with precision. Largest Raid Yet.

An air communique stated: "Throughout the night strong bomber forces of the R.A.F. delivered heavy attacks on military objectives in and around Berlin. This attack was on a much larger scale than any yet carried out and the preliminary reports show that extensive damage was done. Among the targets selected by our aircraft and heavily bombsd were the Rangsdorf railway station and several railway yards, including that at Grunewald, the west tower of the Wimersdorf electric power station, gasworks at Danzinstrasse and Neukoln, factories at Charlottenburg and Spandau, including the Brandenburg motorworks and other objectives. During the night operations over the Channel ports in enemy occupation were vigorously attacked. Three of our aircraft have not returned." According to an Air Ministry bulletln the B.A.F. attacks on Berlin were carefully planned and the city was pasted for several hours. How well the general scheme worked out may be judged by the comments of the commanding officer of one large station who said: "My aircraft went out at regular intervals and came back as regularly, just like well organisefi trains." Steady Hammermg. The west power station and the power stations of Wilmersdorf, Charlottenburg, Klingenberg and Moabit, all within the Berlin area, each came in for a steady hammering. Many fires were seen to break out. One aircraft alone started five large fires that were visible 80 miles away. Another reported that a power station was alight at four . different points. At Klingenberg and Wilmersdorf it was the same story. Bombs were bursting on power stations and flames were leaping high. One pilot attacking a large gasworks saw his bomb burst among buildings. Other pilots attacking the same target later left a string of smallish fires in the target area. One of them said: "We must have hit this gasworks fair and square. Our bombs started another line of fires and then a fire in the middle of the target caused a gigantic explosion." Numerous Fires Caused. A rail junction to the east of the west power station was also bombed. An attack was made on aero engine works and many bombs were dropped in the area and shortly afterwards numerous fires broke out. The Siemens cable works was also set on fire, The three power stations took the i brunt of a series of attacks. One aircraft started a large fire in the west power station, which was but one of many. At Klingenberg a considerable fire was already burning when one aircraft arrived. By the glow of this fire sticks of bombs were dropped right across the target. Five big fires were started by one aircraft at the Moabit power station, enabling the target to be clearly identified by following aircraft. Three bombs from one aircraft caused more fires and touched off explosive material which blew up in a series of vivid flashes. At the Charlottenburg power station four big fires were observed from one aircraft as it came away. At the Danzigerstrasse gasworks bombing caused a violent explosion anc, the target was left burning furiously. This was one of the night's most satisfying spectacles. Explosions — seen 23 miles away — wrecked parts of the Neukoln gasworks. Building Quickly Gutted. At a gasworks at Charlottenburg a large building was quickly gutted by fire and many other fires caused by the aircraft were observed. The railway yards were seen to be hit and the Tempelhof aerodrome was bombed. The Siemens works, where a large proportion of electrical equipment for hydrogenation plant is produced, received a direct hit. Here a red oblong-shaped fire was started which spread rapidly. Details showing that the heavy air attack on Berlin was part of a large scale general bombing offensive are contained in an Air Ministry communique which stated: "In addition to strong forces of the R.A.F. detailed to bomb objectives in the Berlin area and enemypccup_ie4 -ghaagtg port^ otfiejL^r^ Qi

our bombers last night attacked aircraft works at Wismar, the lock gates on the Kiel Canal, shipyards and docks at Hamburg, Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremen and Wismar, goods yards at Munster and Hanover, railway communications in north Germany and several enemy aerodromes. Yesterday aircraft of the coastal command shot down an enemy bomber injo the sea,"-