THREAT & REPLY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 October 1940, Page 6

THREAT & REPLY

NAZI INVASION PLANS PREPARATIONS ON COAST OF EUROPE, SUSTAINED R.A.F. OFFENSIVE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.15 a.m.) RUGBY, October 23. Since the first threat of'invasion was made, early last month, pilots of the R.A.F. have kept a constant watch oh all German sea bases, from Narvik ito Bordeaux, a distance of about 2,000 'miles, and there is little doubt that their vigilance and harassing tactics have greatly interfered with the enemy s plans. Until lately, it would have been extremely unwise to let the enemy know how much was known of his preparations and the effect on them of R.A.F. attacks. Even now, the story can only be told in part. From the first day on which the enemy concentrated forces in every available port and harbour, both large and small, aircraft ,of the R.A.F. has carried out reconnaissance, and as a result has brought back invaluable information. In the early days of September, reports showed only small concentrations of men and materials, but as time progressed the concentrations became more and more imposing, and before long hundreds of barges and other wax equipment were assembled at Antwerp, Calais, Dunkirk, Ostend, Nieuport and Le Havre. From the air, many barges were daily reported to be moving slowly from one canal to anothei. Small warships also moved near the barges, which were self-propelled, over 150 feet in length and each capable of carrying large quantities of men and materials. ENEMY ACTIVITIES. It is also known that the enemy commandeered every available barge of over 500 tons and that armies of workmen were employed in shipyards altering the bows of the vessels to enable tanks and guns to be more easily carried and disembarked. Besides these concentrations of barges there were also submarines in many of the harbours—some of them of the ocean-going type—large motor vessels, and merchant ships. On one occasion 45 large merchant ships were reported at Le Havre. Inland, new aircraft shelters were being built on many areodromes, from which it was expected that enemy aircraft would play their part in invasion. It was noted, too, that the railways were particularly busy, especially between Germany and the Low Countries. On September 9, a strong offensive against the enemy was begun on a large scale, and in the numerous attacks that followed, both by day and night, heavy damage was inflicted. All along the coast each “invasion port” in turn came in for heavy bombardment. Naval docks and shipbuildings yards at Hamburg and Bremen were bombed as well. In many instances the raids lasted for several hours.

WIDESPREAD DAMAGE. From reports received from reliable sources, there is further evidence that widespread damage has been done.. At Dunkirk, for instance, on a quay between two of the main docks, a large four-bay building and aonther building were levelled to the ground. At Brest, attacks on the arsenal and aerodromes proved equally successful. At Calais, it is known that buildings and the south end of the dry-dock were destroyed by fire, that the east side docks were damage and that the lock between the Inner Basin and the Navigation Port suffered considerably. There were signs, also, of extensive fires along the Quai De La Louvre, and according to one report the electricity works nearby were completely destroyed. At Lorient, during one of many raids, buildings on a jetty were directly hit. Damage was also done to the torpedo-boat station. In the same seaport hits were scored on barracks, resulting in many casualties among the German troops stationed there. Outside the harbout, mines laid by British aircraft trapped and sank several ships. Other evidence to hand makes plain the extensive damage done to the enemy’s “invasion” equipment in occupied ports along the Dutch and Belgian coasts. ATTACK ON CHERBOURG. It is now clear that the naval bombardment and air attack on Cherbourg, a few days ago, took the enemy by surprise. It appears that the shore defences mistook the naval bombardment for part of an air attack, for the only response to the fire of the British ships was a marked intensification of antiaircraft fire of all types. It was not until after the bombardment had ceased and the British force had withdrawn that the enemy’s heavy batteries replied to the naval guns... The threat of invasion still persists, and will persist as long as naval units, barges, troops and air forces are concentrated along the extensive coastline of enemy-occupied countries. They are still battered by the bombers of the R.A.F. wherever it is considered necessary.