ROYAL AIR FORCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 June 1940, Page 5

ROYAL AIR FORCE

DAYS OF GALLANT EFFORT ENEMY ATTACKED HEAVILY IN ABBEVILLE AREA. IMPORTANT BRIDGES WRECKED OR BLOCKED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.50 a.m.) RUGBY, June 7. Further details are now available of R.A.F. bombing yesterday of enemy forces seeking to penetrate the Allied defences in the Abbeville region. Columns of armoured and fighting vehicles, with an attendant supply of lorries, reported by an earlier reconnaissance to be massing near Abbeville, were attacked during the morning. Over a ton of high-explosive bombs of heavy calibre, in addition to a large number of smaller bombs, were dropped on this enemy concentration. During a 10-minute bombardment, at a low level, two of our bombers were attacked by three Messerschmitt 109’s from a line astern. Fighting back with their rear guns, the bombers spiralled down almost to ground level and in a running fight, lasting 20 minutes, one Messerschmitt was caught by a burst of fire at close range and when last seen appeared to be badly damaged. LOW-DIVING ATTACKS. In the afternoon, roads and bridges were attacked by a strong force of medium bombers. Breaking up into sections,, they approached their objectives in shallow dives and as the result of 45 minutes of almost incessant bombardment direct hits were scored on main road and railway bridges at the principal exits to Abbeville, while railway lines, and cross-roads in other parts of the town were either wrecked or temporarily blocked by the debris of demolished buildings. Important bridges over the Somme estuary were the objectives of another sortie later in the day, and on one vital bridge three direct hits in succession were scored with heavy calibre bombs. Again targets attacked in a series at times brought the raiders within 1200 feet of the ground, and under intense anti-aircraft fire from mobile gun batteries. VARIETY OF TARGETS. Throughout yesterday, last night and today, sustained attacks have been made by R?A.F. medium and heavy bombers on the -enemy’s lines of communication, leading to the battlefield and on a wide variety of targets in forward areas immediately behind the fighting fronts. Railheads, railway junctions, bridges, crossroads, troops and tank concentrations and gun positions have been systematically and repeatedly bombed along the whole front. Five •of our medium bombers have failed to return.

Formations of our heavy bombers attacked last night oil refineries, marshalling yards, lines of communication and aerodromes in southern Belgium and north-west Germany. All these aircraft returned safely. Aircraft of the Coastal Command and Army co-operation units carried out continuous patrols and reconnaissances, by sea and land. Ope of these aircraft was lost.

Our fighters have again been active and 15 enemy aircraft were destroyed. Four Of our fighters are' missing.

SURVEY OF FRONT ONLY LIMITED INROADS BY TANKS ENORMOUS ARMOURED MASS. HELD UP AT PERONNE. By Telegraph—-Press Association—Copyright. (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) PARIS, June 7. A French military spokesman stated that the night had not .modified the general situation. The French had used the hours of darkness to bring up ammunition and other supplies'to support points, which were well prepared when the battle was resumed with the same violence. Military circles are satisfied with the course of the operations of the two days, particularly the results against tanks. It is estimated that 400 were destroyed out of the 2000 which Herr Hitler threw into the battle. Moreover the tanks which succeeded in penetrating the defence system were nowhere followed by infantry, which have been nailed down by fire from support points. The position of the Allied armies can at present be summed up thus: On the south bank of the Somme, which the Germans succeeded in crossing in its lower reaches, the Allies have established positions on the River Bresle. The positions in the centre on the whole remain unchanged. The French are still holding out near Amiens and also are holding their ground before Peronne, although the Germans have thrown into the battle in this sector alone nearly 1000 tanks. This enormous armoured mass has not succeeded in demolishing support points. The tanks have only succeeded in filtering through and their progress has not exceeded 6 to 7 miles. On what at present constitutes the extreme right of the battlefront, fighting has been resumed between the Aisne and the Ailette, on a plateau to the north of the Aisne. The' Germans here are making a terrific push. BATTLE RESUMED IN SAME GENERAL CONDITIONS. (Received This Day. 9.50 a.m.) RUGBY, June 7. The French morning communique stated that after a lull during the night the battle was resumed this morning in the same general conditions as during yesterday.