LOCATING TARGETS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 August 1940, Page 5

LOCATING TARGETS

METHODS OF BRITISH BOMBERS. EXERCISE OF SCRUPULOUS CARE. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 7. The scrupulous care which British pilots are expected to exercise to bomb only military objectives was emphasised by a flying-officer of a R.A.F. heavy bomber when describing in a broadcast a recent raid in which he took part. His objective was a synthetic oil plant in the eastern Ruhr area. The plant was difficult to locate, and the landmarks given for its identification were a wood and a motor highway.

“Having arrived in the area,” said the pilot, “we were groping, as it were, for the actual target for some time. Wc know we were near it. but our instructions were very definite that we must identify the target without doubt before bombing, so we dropped 'parachute flares, but without success. “Then, about a minute oi- two later while we were still searching, one of the other fellows from the squadron let off his flares about half a mile away. This other bomber was then about 2000 feet above us, and his flares went off below us. lighting up a wide area. They enabled my navigator first of all to spot the wood which was one of our chief landmarks: this led us on to the actual target and then began the attack.”