HEAVIEST YET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 March 1941, Page 6

HEAVIEST YET

THE LATEST BOMBING OF HAMBURG SPECIAL ATTENTION PAID TO SHIPYARDS. ATTACKS ON ENEMY SHIPS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY. March 14. An Air Ministry communique states: ‘‘ln the clear light of a full moon, the Bomber Command last night delivered the heaviest attack to which objectives in Hamburg have been subjected. Heavy bombs fell on the shipbuilding yards which had been receiving special attention on the night before and on docks and warehouses, where many large fires broke out. Other targets near the south bank of the Elbe were left burning fiercely. ‘‘Aircraft of the Home Command attacked oil storage plants at Rotterdam, causing huge fires. Minor attacks were made on Bremen and Emden and single aircraft bombed two aerodromes in Holland. “Aircraft of the Coastal Command carried out many flights yesterday and last night. At about midday, a direct hit was obtained on the stern of an enemy supply ship off the Norwegian coast and other vessels were machinegunned. “Last night an aircraft torpedoed and sank a supply ship off the Friesian Islands. “From all these operations, six of our aircraft are missing. “R.A.F. fighters shot down an enemy bomber into the sea off the Welsh coast this morning.” NAZI ADMISSIONS MILITARY AND INDUSTRIAL DAMAGE. (Received This Day, 12.40 p.m.) LONDON, March 14. The Berlin radio admitted that Hamburg was the centre of R.A.F. attacks, also that numerous high-explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped, military and industrial damage being done. Messages from neutral sources say the R.A.F.'s blows came as a great shock to the population, because the authorities had encouraged a belief that the lull was due to the fact that augmented defences had made such raids impossible. A Zurich report says the damage inflicted in the last two nights was heavier than that of all previous raids put together.