BOMBING BERLIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 August 1940, Page 6

BOMBING BERLIN

APPROACHES NOW FAMILIAR TO BRITISH PILOTS

Journey Made Frequently Since March

EVENTS OF SUNDAY NIGHT’S RAID

ATTACK DRIVEN HOME IN FACE OF HEAVY

GUNFIRE

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received This Day, 11.0 a.m.). RUGBY, August 26. “Operations in the B'erlin area last night were hampered by poor weather conditions,” states an Air Ministry communique, ■which continues: “Selected military objectives veie attacked, as well as anti-aircraft batteries and searchlight concentrations on the outskirts of the German capital. “Other aircraft attacked supply depots at Cologne, Ilamin and Schwerte. The docks at Bremen were also bombed. Coastal Command aircraft attacked oil tanks at Cherbourg, seaplanes and E-boats in Boulogne Harbour and docks at Flushing. “Yesterday R.A.F. bombers attacked a number of aerodromes in enemy-occupied territory in Holland and Belgium. These attacks were continued after nightfall on aerodromes in Northern France. From all these bombing operations five of our aircraft have not returned.

“A Sunderland flying-boat, on patrol in the Tromso area, last night attacked a number of enemy flying-boats at anchoi, sinking two, setting lire to a third and damaging others. An Air Ministry bulletin says: “Although last night was the first occasion since the outbreak of Avar when the R.A.F. has made bombing attacks on military objectives in Berlin, many of our bomber.pilots are now familiar with this journey, having made it in every kind of weather since last, autumn. In March, Berlin was visited five times in six nights. A British pilot, describing the raid on Berlin, which was his twenty-fifth raid of the war, said: “For at least two-thirds of the way, there was very heavy anti-aircraft fire, much more than usual. One might almost have thought that the Germans were expecting us. Twice 1 had to take violent evasive action to escape shells. When we arrived over Berlin there was a formidable concentration of guns and searchlights. We cruised around for half an hour before we located our target and all the time the guns were popping off at us quite accurately.” The pilot added that through a hole in a cloud he saw the moon reflected on a lake, which gave him his position. Finding a difficulty in bombing the first time, owing to anti-aircraft opposition, the British aeroplanes went away just far enough to shake off the guns and searchlights. Then they came back right over the target, by which'time the friendly gap had opened wider and the machines were able to drop their bombs. A large fire was seen burning before the clouds finally closed over the scene.