HEAVY DAMAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 August 1940, Page 5

HEAVY DAMAGE

DONE TO GERMAN OIL PLANTS SUSTAINED BRITISH BOMBING RAIDS. MANY OBJECTIVES ATTACKED. An Air Ministry communique transmitted by Daventry, states that more daylight attacks were made by the R.A.F. on Germanoccupied aerodromes in Holland. A direct hit was obtained on a hangar and enemy aircraft were machine-gunned on the ground. One British plane is missing. Synthetic oil plants in North-West Germany, Krupps’ works at Essen, supply depots and several aerodromes were attacked during the night. The damage done to the oil plants was considerable. All the British planes returned safely. On the way back a twin-engine enemy aircraft was encountered. The British planes opened fire on it and when last seen the Gorman plane had its wings on fire. A communique issued by General de Gaulle states that French airmen took part in the air raids on Germany, the chief objective being oil plants. The attack was pressed home with highly satisfactory results. Coastal Command aircraft bombed the German occupied aerodrome at Cherbourg, where there were a large number of enemy aircraft on the ground. The Canadian Air Squadron has had its first victory over the Germans. Three Canadian pilots attacked German dive-bombers, shot one clown and damaged another. ATTACK ON CHERBOURG (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.47 a.m.) RUGBY, August 2. An Air Ministry communique states: A strong force of Coastal Command aircraft made a successful daylight attack on a German-occupied aerodrome at Cherbourg yesterday. The attack was pressed home in the face of very heavy anti-aircraft fire. Three of our bombers are missing. FLEET AIR ARM WIRELESS STATION IN NORWAY ATTACKED. SUPPLY SHIP LEFT SINKING. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.47 a.m.) RUGBY, August 2. An Admiralty communique states: “During operations over the Norwegian coast yesterday Skua aircraft successfully bombed a wireless station and attacked an enemy supply ship, of about 4,000 tons. When last seen this ship was listing heavily and was being abandoned by her crew. Our aircraft returned safely.” GERMAN REPORT (Received This Day, 11.0 a.m.) BERLIN. August 2. A communique states: “German fighters attacked a few small convoys yesterday and also several armed enemy merchantmen off the Humber. Estuary and Yarmouth, sinking one merchantman and damaging two men, a tanker and a mine-sweeper.” “Our bombers effectively attacked an aeroplane factory at Norwich. Heavy-calibre bombs caused fierce fires and several explosions in the workshops. “A German plane destroyed an enemy submarine on July 31, in Norwegian waters. “Yesterday afternoon eight Blenheims attacked the Querqueville airport, near Cherbourg. We shot down all eight planes. There were no German losses. “Two Blenheims were shot down during a raid on Dutch territory. “British planes last night again raided Western Germany. There was no military damage, but house property was severely damaged near Cologne. Several civilians were killed and wounded. The enemy lost ten planes yesterday. One of ours is missing.

“A U-boat sank an enemy submarine. This U-boat on two expeditions has sunk twelve armed merchantmen, totalling 74,338 tons, the destroyer Whirlwind and a submarine.”