RAID ON SYLT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 March 1940, Page 5

RAID ON SYLT

MADE BV BRITISH PLANES

ENEMY AIR BASE SEVERELY DAMAGED. 1 SUCCESSFUL NIGHT ATTACK. The following Daventry reports have been rebroadcast by the New Zealand national stations: — The Air Ministry announces a successful air raid on the German air base on the island of Sylt. The raid was carried out last night. No further details are yet known beyond an announcement that the base was severely damaged. The base is one used by German air craft in raids against the British coast and shipping. SCAPA FLOW RAID. Referring to the Scapa Flow raid, when speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Chamberlain said that only 20 bombs were dropped in the Flow itself and one warship was slightly damaged. Altogether 121 bombs and 500 incendiary bombs were dropped over an area of 100 square miles’on land, on the excuse that the German planes were attacking military objectives. ALLIES & FINLAND. The Prime Minister, Mr Chamberlain, speaking in the House of Commons, gave the full story of British help to Finland. He said the Allies were prepared to send a full equipped Expeditionary Force of 100,000 men. Finland had been informed of the Allies’ plans in the second half of February. Field-Marshal Mannerheim had stated that he did not need more manpower before the thaw began, but lie would require 30,000 men before May. If an appeal for help had come from Finland, the Allies would have approached Norway and Sweden and asked them to allow the Allied forceto go through their territories. Finland had approached Sweden herself and had been turned down. Neither Britain nor France, said Mr Chamberlain, had anything to reproach themselves about in doing all they possibly could for Finland. Finland would never .have been invaded but for the pact between Germany and Russia and it was only German threats that terrified the Scandinavian countries into withholding assistance from Finland.