DEVASTATING ONSLAUGHT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 May 1941, Page 5

DEVASTATING ONSLAUGHT

ON HAMBURG AND BREMEN

Made By Greatest Force of Bombers Yet Sent Out

WAVES OF ATTACK

HUNDREDS OF TONS OF EXPLOSIVES DROPPED And Tens of Thousands of incendiary Bombs HAVOC IN SUBMARINE YARDS AND OTHER PORT AREAS LOSS OF TEN BRITISH MACHINES . LONDON, May 9. TWO OF GERMANY’S GREATEST SEAPORTS, HAMBURG AND BREMEN, WERE DEVASTATED BY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INCENDIARY BOMBS AND HUNDREDS OF TONS OF HIGH EXPLOSIVES, DROPPED BY THE LARGEST FORCE OF R.A.F. BOMBERS EVER SENT OUT ON A SINGLE NIGHT. Wave after wave flew over in quick succession for two hours and in spite of German night fighters and anti-aircraft defences load upon load of bombs shook, and seared vast areas. The targets could be clearly seen in the moonlight. In submarine yards, shipping and industrial areas, there were widespread fires and many other indications of havoc. An agency correspondent said that it is estimated that between 300 and 400 bombers took part in the raid, Ten British planes were lost. RAIDS ON BRITAIN Thirteen Nazi Bombers Shot Down on Thursday Night MAKING 87 FOR FIRST EIGHT NIGHTS OF MAY LONDON, May 9. A German fighter-bomber was destroyed as it was about to take off and thirteen German planes were shot down in raids over Britain last night. The German raids were not on so large a scale as the British raids on Germany. In the first eight nights of May, 87 German planes have been destroyed. There was a lull in the daylight air war, following on two days of activity, which cost the Germans 22 planes.