HAVOC IN BREMEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 January 1941, Page 5

HAVOC IN BREMEN

CONCENTRATED R.A.F. RAID OVER 20.000 FIRE BOMBS DROPPED. SEVERE DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT FACTORY. LONDON. January 2. Bremen was the main objective of Hie h’.A.b’. last night. It is srated officially ihal very extensive raids were carried out. despite bad weather. Invasion ports and submarine bases suffered, but the main feature of the operations was a concentrated attack on Bremen, where considerable damage is believed to have been done to military objectives and large fires were caused.

The attack on Bremen is significant in view of recent reports that the Fockf’-Wolfe Aircraft Company is now producing a new German fighter plane in addition to the well-known Condor aircraft. Bremen has now been raided some 50 times. .Many ships have been sunk in the harbour and severe damage has been done to the Focke-Wolfe fac-

For 31 hours the R.A.F. poured down fire and high explosive bombs on objectives in Bremen, the 8.8. C. states. Over 20,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on harbour works, the docks and factories. At two of the shipbuilding yards the fires were of such an extent and intensity that pilots could not -distinguish the burst of high explosive bombs dropped in the heart of the fire. Many industrial targets were ; badly damaged. Although the Germans put up formidable anti-aircraft gunI fire, all the British planes engaged in 5 these attacks, as well as in attacks on 1 enemy-occupied ports, returned safely. | GERMAN REPORT | SOME DAMAGE ADMITTED. (Received This Dav, 9.20 a.m.l LONDON, January 2. ) A Berlin High. Command communi-i ! quo says: "British planes last night) I dropped bombs on factories at threej ■ places in north-west Germany, causing) | some damage and killing five persons) ■ and wounding several. One Vickers- i Wellington plane was brought down ini ; an air ba tie.” * NAZI CLAIM BRITISH PLANE SHOT DOWN. I (Received This Day. 9.5 am J LONDON. January 2. A Berlin broadcast states that British - planes last night flew over north and' '.vest Germany and dropped explosives and incendiaries in several places, which caused no military damage, but three factories and several dwellings were damaged. Ono British plane was shot down by a night fighter. Small German bomber formations, aided by the weather, very successfully) bombed military objectives in London.') Liverpool, Sheffield. Yarmouth and: Harwich. CONCENTRATED RAID NO BRITISH PLANES MISSING t British OlTifla! Wist'lcM,l (Received This Dav, 10.25 a.mJ RUGBY. January 2. | Describing the R.A.F.’s concentrated: raid on Bremen last night, an Air Min-j istry communique states: ’’Bremen pro-) vided the main objectives of last = night’s R A F, offensive operations. The) attack was heavy and lasted for some ■ hours. Shipbuilding and dockyards am! the railway station were subjected to a concentrated discharge of incendiaries and high explosives. Large fires ami explosions Were seen. Port.-; in enemy-oeeupied territory, including Flushing, Ostend and Brest, were also attacked. None of our planes are missing.