AND ARMED AND OTHER VESSELS AT SEA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 October 1940, Page 5

AND ARMED AND OTHER VESSELS AT SEA

Battered by British Bombers SUCCESSFUL ATTACK ON CONVOY OFF DUNKIRK MOSCOW RADIO REPORTS DEVASTATION IN BERLIN German sea power has been the principal objective of British bombers in the last 24 hours, a 8.8. C. broadcast states. A successful attack was made yesterday afternoon on an enemy cargo vessel of 2,000 tons off the Hook of Holland. A string of heavy bombs was dropped from 900 ft across her bows. Tons of explosive and more than a thousand fire bombs were dropped on the shipbuilding yards and docks at Hamburg, where many German warships are constructed. By making individual attacks from different angles and heights, the airmen pressed home the attacks with great success. Many fires were started and a chain of small fires later merged into one great blaze. , , ~ A convoy of 12 or 15 armed cargo vessels was attacked on Dunkirk. Two ships were lifted out of the water and one heeled right over. Barges and cargo vessels were also attacked elsewhere, one large steamer being hit by a bomb. A force of heavy bombers made a lightning attack on an oil refinery, when explosive and incendiary bombs weie xained down on the plant. Fourteen separate fires were started. Only one plane failed to return from all these operations. An indication of the effects of the attack on Berlin on Sunday night comes from the Moscow radio, which quotes German papers. It states that several -districts of Berlin were destroyed and others considerably damaged. There were many casualties. High explosives were dropped in several parts of the city. In one building a fire could not be put out until the next day. Attacks on Britain yesterday were on a very small scale. The raiders were dispersed by strong forces of fighters. Some damage and casualties resulted in two towns on the south-east coast.