HAMPERED BY FREEZING WEATHER AND CLOUDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 October 1940, Page 5

HAMPERED BY FREEZING WEATHER AND CLOUDS

But Many Enemy Objectives Bombed Heavily TARGETS INCLUDE KIEL AND WILHELMSHAVEN NIGHTLY RAIDS ON CHANNEL PORTS CONTINUED Extremely bad weather, with temperatures below zero and extensive clouds, severely hampered operations by the R.A.F. on Sunday night, a 8.8. C. broadcast reports. The Air Mimstiy states that many of the planes flew blind through a blanket of clouds and on arrival at their objectives found the clouds almost at ground level and completely obscuring the targets. Other planes were more fortunate and through fleeting gaps in the cloud banks located and attacked tlieii targets. The naval dockyards at Kiel were attacked after a most hazardous journey, in which a violent electrical storm and an ice-forming belt 8,000 feet deep were encountered. Sticks of heavy explosives fell on the dockyards. Thick clouds which reduced visibility to nil badly hampered an attack on the naval dockyard at Wilhelmshaven. The two main shipping bases were heavily bombed. Attacks were also made on the shipbuilding yards at Hamburg. In the Ruhr an important coal plant was attacked and a large fire broke out. Other targets in the Ruhr included Krupps’ works, railway junctions, etc. Some of the bombers sought out alternative objectives and bombed aerodromes, gun positions and a seaplane base. The usual nightly bombing of the Channel ports was carried out from Ostend" to Le Havre, heavy damage being inflicted. Nazi Attacks FIRE BOMBS SHOWERED ON PARTS OF LONDON German raids on London began rather earlier than usual last night and were heavy from the outset. Fire bombs were showered on some districts. During yesterday a few bombs were dropped by single raiders in the south of England and the Midlands. Casualties were small, but a few people were killed. In one town in Kent some houses and shops were , damaged. A town in South-East England had one of its worst night raids of the war.