HEAVY ATTACKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 March 1941, Page 5

HEAVY ATTACKS

ON GERMAN NAVAL PORTS MADE BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE. EVIDENCE OF EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. On Tuesday night, the R.A.F. carried out heavy raids on Kiel and Wilhelmshaven, the two chief naval bases in Germany, states the 8.8. C. They dropped a great load of high explosive and incendiary bombs on docks, shipbuilding yards and other objectives. The raid on Kiel extended over several hours, starting soon after nine o’clock and continuing until well into the early hours of the morning. Showers of incendiaries made a mark for later aircraft which followed in relays. As the largest bombs fell on the targets the flash of the explosions was reflected vividly on the clouds. At Wilhelmshaven many fires were seen on the docks and shipyards. Another formation of bombers visited Rotterdam, and made a further attack on stores of oil. One large and three small fires broke out and spread into one big blaze. ENEMY PLANES SHOT DOWN. There was little air activity over Britain yesterday. Two German planes were shot down into the sea, one off the east coast, and the other off the south-east coast. MUCH DAMAGE IN HULL. In Tuesday night’s heavy raid on Hull a great deal of damage was done, particularly to workers’ houses. MUCH DAMAGE BUT RELATIVELY FEW CASUALTIES. SUSTAINED RAID ON HULL. LONDON, March 19. Hull was the main objective of enemy raiders in their attacks on this country last night. The attack on Hull was a heavy one. Incendiary and high explosive bombs were dropped and many houses, industrial buildings and a theatre were damaged. Fires were started, but all were put out by daybreak. The casualties are not expected to be heavy. AIR MINISTRY REPORT BOMBERS FIND TARGETS IN BAD WEATHER. NIGHT AND DAY OPERATIONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) (Received This Day, 10.5 a.m.) RUGBY, March 19. An Air Ministry communique states: “Attacks by the R.A.F. on seaports of northern Germany were resumed on Tuesday night and were directed mainly against the dockyards and the industrial centre of Kiel, docks and industrial targets at Wilhelmshaven. Oil and storage tanks at Rotterdam were also sharply attacked. Weather conditions were variable, but darkness and haze did not prevent aircraft of the Bomber Command in considerable numbers from finding their targets. Heavy bombs and incendiaries were dropped and caused explosions, and a number of large fires at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven. Several of the fires were still burning fiercely when the planes left. Fires, several of considerable size, broke out at oil storage tanks alongside the harbour of Rotterdam. Other aircraft bombed docks qt Emden, a target at Texel and two aerodromes in Holland. In daylight on Tuesday aircraft of the same command bombed and mach-ine-gunned enemy shipping off the Dutch coast. “From these operations, one of our aircraft is missing. “It is now known that during the night of March 17, a total of three enemy aircraft, one which had already been announced, was destroyed in combat with our bombers.”