BOMBING BERLIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 September 1940, Page 4

BOMBING BERLIN

YOUNG FLIGHT-LIEUTENANT’S NARRATIVE

“GREATEST THRILL OF MY LIFE.” CAREFULLY DIRECTED ATTACK. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 4. A young flight lieutenant, describing his first raid on Berlin, said: “It was the greatest thrill of my life,” and spoke of the honour his crew felt had been paid to it by their selection for this expedition. “Our machine,” he said “took off almost at dusk on a clear night and crossed the sea in what daylight was left. We were greeted at three cities with tremendous anti-air-craft fire, but fortunately were not hit, and when about 30 miles from Berlin the barrage was terrific. “We could see other aircraft which got there before us dropping flares, but the night was so cloudy over the city that at first I was unable to locate the target. My crew said: ‘You are not going back without dropping your bombs. Find that target somehow.’ We came down low.- A flare from another aircraft illuminated the target, and we dropped our bombs. “Actually only about three bombers found their targets that night. But the next time we went—last Friday—the weather was perfect, and though it was night time we managed to locate nearly everything in Berlin by the reflected glare of the searchlights, which were trying to penetrate a slight mist. The whole of Berlin was clearly outlined. We could see the Unter den Linden plainly, and also saw a big sports stadium. Then, marking the target by means of a lake, I dropped bombs. I think on this occasion each of our bombers found its target, which was a big works.”