EXTENSIVE ATTACKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 May 1940, Page 5

EXTENSIVE ATTACKS

MADE ON ENEMV AIR BASES STRONG BRITISH FORCES ENGAGED. CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11 a.m.) RUGBY, May 1. The Air Ministry announces: “Large concentrations of enemy aircraft were reported yesterday at the air bases in Norway and Denmark. Extensive attacks were therefore launched by strong forces of R.A.F. bomber aircraft last night on the aerodromes at Stavanger, Fornebu and Aalborg. The attacks were pressed home in the face of strong opposition from anti-aircraft guns and fighters. “Preliminary reports indicate that heavy damage was done on the aerodromes and on the aircraft dispersed there. Casualties were inflicted on enemy fighters. At least three are known to have been shot down. Seven of our aircraft were lost during these operations. Further attacks have been carried out this morning.” SUCCESS FOLLOWED UP. The raids by the R.A.F. Bomber Command on Stavanger began on Tuesday afternoon and continued into the early hours of this morning. Later a new force of R.A.F. bombers launched a daylight attack on the already damaged airbase. While in the earlier attacks the British raiders had met strong opposition from German fighters, during the latest raid they were not encountered. The damage inflicted on the airbase in recent attacks was plainly visible to the latest raiders when, in perfect weather and with visibility of fifty miles, the aerodrome was attacked with large numbers of high-explosive bombs and bursts of smoke and flame recorded a series of hits on the landing ground. All the British aircraft engaged in this daylight raid returned safely to their bases. DAMAGE TO AERODROMES. The night attacks on Fornebu, near Oslo, and on Aalborg, in occupied Denmark, resulted in these aerodromes being badly damaged. One of the strongest forces yet engaged in operations on a single night took part in these three raids, from which seven machines failed to return. , When the advance guard of the British raiding force reached Stavanger late on Tuesday afternoon, large numbers of enemy aircraft on the ground were attacked ' with high-explosive and incendiary bombs, which burst within the target area. GERMAN CLAIMS WARSHIPS AND TRANSPORTS SUNK. (Received This Day, 10.40 a.m.) LONDON, May 1. A German High Command communique claims that eight British machines were brought down at Stavanger and admits slight damage at Fornebu, where one British plane was shot down. The communique adds that a cruiser, a destroyer and five transports were sunk by bombs at Namsos and one heavy cruiser and five transports seriously damaged.