IN BAD WEATHER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1941, Page 6

IN BAD WEATHER

ATTACK ON INVASION PORTS DAMAGE DONE BY BRITISH BOMBERS. LARGE FIRES STARTED. (British Official Wirelcss.l ■ 'Received This Day. 11.15 a.m.) RUGBY. February 7. ! An Air Ministry communique states: j ‘ Last night, in bad weather, R.A.F. bombers attacked docks at the invasion ports in northern France. At Bou- i logne. Cherbourg and Dieppe, manybursts were observed in dock areas and ■ several large fires were started. The! docks at Calais and Fecamp were also bombed.” OPPORTUNITIES SEIZED PILOTS DIVE THROUGH CLOUDS. SATISFACTORY RESULTS OBSERVED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.36 a.m.) RUGBY. February 7. Details of the R.A.F. attack on inva.sion ports are given by the Air Ministry news service, which states that the places attacked were Boulogne. Dunkirk. Dieppe. Calais and Fecamp. The weather was nowhere good. but by seizing an opportunity when the prevailing clouds parted, and sometimes by diving through the clouds, the British pilots were able to report satisfactory results. At Dieppe, a number of brisk fires were started which suddenly went out in a manner which suggested that barges had burnt down to the water line and then sunk. Boulogne was more heavily attacked for about two hours, beginning at 7 p.m. Here success depended on changing weather, but a majority of the pilots fftund adequate gaps in the clouds, though some had to spend a long time over the target before their opportunity came. Bombs exploded beside many of the docks and basins. Several fires and large explosions followed. At Dunkirk, the clouds were thicker, but the pilots saw their bombs burst near barges and shipping. Incendiary bombs started some fires. At Fecamp the railway and the eastern end of docks were hit in clear weather, and tit Calais, where attacks were made from a law level, explosions were observed on warehouses beside the dock.

In these operations, the Air Ministry states, one British aircraft is missing.