LEFT IN FLAMES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 August 1940, Page 6

LEFT IN FLAMES

SYNTHETIC OIL PLANT IN RUHR GOOD WORK BY BRITISH BOMBERS. DAMAGE DONE TO KREFELD AERODROME. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, August 5. An Air Ministry communique states that R.A.F. bombers last night attacked an oil plant at Sterkrade, in the Ruhr. Considerable damage was done to the target, which was left in flames. An attack was also made on Krefeld Aerodrome, where a hangar was hit and fires started among the aerodrome buildings. All our aircraft returned safely. An Air Ministry bulletin contains details of the attack on the synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade. The raiders were over the works for several hqurs and dropped fourteen tons of high explosive bombs, as well as incendiary bombs, which set alight the oil flowing from the shattered storage tanks. Half an hour after the first onslaught the flames had obtained such a hold on the buildings that observers could note their progress as the bombs continued to fall. Green and blue flashes of explosions were mingled with the red glow of the fires, which billowed clouds of smoke. Towards the end of the raid the fires were spreading rapidly. MESSERSCHMITTS DAMAGED. The bulletin also tells how three Blenheims, patrolling the French coast' yesterday, were attacked by four Messerschmitts. The British pilots dived steeply, in. formation, until they were just above the clouds. Their gunners were firing all the time and two Messerschmitts broke away, one heading back for the French coast, low over the sea, apparently in flames. The other Messerschmitts continued to attack, but the Blenheims kept their formation intact and brought the concentrated fire of their rear guns to bear on one of the German fighters. It is believed that this Messerschmitt also was severely damaged. The Blenheims all landed safely and there were no casualties among the crews. GERMAN REPORT (Received This Day. 10.40 a.m.) BERLIN, August 5. A communique says:— “Our Air Force on August 4 reconnoitred over England and Scotland and also at sea and along the coasts. We sank a merchantman at the mouth of St. George’s Channel. We bombed shipping and a wharf at Sheerness, oil tanks and anti-aircraft posts north of Gillingham and anti-aircraft posts near Thames Haven. “A few British planes bombed Western Germany and did insignificant damage. A farm was set’ on fire in the Borken district and a civilian was killed.”