STRUCK BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1941, Page 5

STRUCK BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

At Enemy Ports and Bases ? SUCCESSFUL DAY AND NIGHT OPERATIONS PLANES LEAVE TRAIL OF DESTRUCTIVE FIRES An extended sweep was made yesterday over Northern France by R.A.F. bombers, escorted by fighters, a 8.8. C. broadcast states. This followed on night operations in which British bombers, ranging far and wide, delivered smashing blows at enemy invasion ports, leaving behind them a trail of destructive fires. Attacks were made on Dunkirk, Boulogne, Ostend, Calais, Cherbourg and other enemy-occupied ports, and on Dusseldorf!, in southwestern Germany. Some of the British planes descended to as low as 1,000 feet to drive home their attacks. German troops had the fright of their lives when one aircraft flew almost to the doors of a big building into which lorries were driving and blazed bullets into it.

These widespread night operations cost Britain four machines.

Particular attention was given by the British pilots to the enemy submarine base at Brest. The whole layout of the docks could be perceived clearly and there was no doubt as to the damage done. The violence of one of the fires started strongly suggested that oil supplies had been set ablaze. Bordeaux, from which German submarines set out for raids in the Atlantic, was another of the objectives attacked successfully in the course of the night’s operations and here also there were indications that oil supplies were among the targets set on fire. A base from which four-engined flying-boats set out to attack British convoys in the Atlantic was attacked for an hour. Bombs were seen to fall on a number of the docks. An Air Ministry communique states that British aircraft were very active yesterday. A number of fighter patrols were maintained and these destroyed an enemy bomber over the Channel in the morning, and a second enemy machine during the afternoon. Early yesterday afternoon a. squadron of bombers, escorted by a considerable number of fighters, made a sweep over Northern France, where an aerodrome was successfully attacked. Two enemy aircraft were shot down. Five British fighters are missing.