FIRES STARTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 February 1941, Page 5

FIRES STARTED

; IN ENEMY NAVAL BASES — ATTACKS IN BAD WEATHER. SURVEY OF LAST WEEK’S OPERATIONS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. February 22. Last night aircraft of the Bomber Command overcame bad weather and the formidable defences of Wilhelmshaven to attack the dockyards and shipbuilding works, states the Air Ministry news service. It was a night of intense darkness and persistent cloud, and to make matters worse a thick haze covered the ground at Wilhelmshaven itself. Though most of our pilots found their objectives and dropped their high explosives and incendiaries at moments when the low clouds parted, it was difficult to observe the full results of the bombing. Near Bauhafen a large fire was observed by several pilots, and soon afterwards a succession of explosions. Later, aircraft directed their bombs towards fires started in the early part of the raid. Several fires wore seen rapidly spreading as our aircraft left. The raid lasted an hour and a half, beginning at 9 p.m. An official account of yesterday’s day and night R.A.F. operations is given in an Air Ministry communique, which states: "During daylight yesterday our fighter patrols were continued over the French coast. None of our planes are missing. “Last night a number of operations were successfully carried out in sp’te of bad weather. Attacks were made at several points on the coast of enemy territory. A large fire was observed at Wilhelmshaven. Emden and Brest were also attacked. Other aircraft bombed objectives in the industrial area in the Western Ruhr, but bad visibility made it impossible to observe details of the results. A number of aerodromes in Holland and France were also attacked. From al! these activities, two of our aircraft are missing.” In daylight on Thursday single aircraft of the Bomber Command dropped bombs on docks at Ijmuiden. in occupied Holland. A large tire broke out on the quayside. The night actiyities of the R A F were confined to an offen- I sive patrol over certain aerodromes in I northern France* None of the aircraft is missing British lighters e.’irr’cd out j offensive patrols over the French c0.i.0.; and two of them are missing. During the week ending at dawn cn i February 21 It A F activity over Ger- ■ man-occupied territory was restrizted j by bad weather. Places attacked in- ' chide the Gelsvnkii'elh n oil plant-' ; where a number of fires and nine ex- I plosion*- of great force v.*- re report-. 1; ' Du:.*.berg and Ruhrort docks’, ind:ist’l.il objective *. b.ei e ] 7 ih t S Well-* counted; Calais docks, in three raids; i Den Holder docks anil lockgates. at-j tacked in two raids, a direct hit being J registered on a supply ship; a l ?Hi tun I enernv <>:| tanker, bombed off It- rg n; ■ the Boulogne docks the Bret na\al ' base, the Ostend docks, and the Ijinni- • den docks A leaflet raid was <-ar--:eJ ' out over Katowice and Krakow. Dur- , mg the week’s operall *. inehr.ii:>}:* many offensive patrols, nine of our air- I craft were lost. j