MISSION OF HAVOC

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 July 1941, Page 6

MISSION OF HAVOC

CARRIED ON BY R.A.F. IN GERMANY & OCCUPIED TERRITORY. SPLASHING BLOWS STRUCK AT BREST. (Receive! 1 . This Day. 10.55 a.m.) RUGBY. July 7. ’ I Fifty fires in Munster alone 1 were counted by air crews taking | part in Inst night’s powerful attacks both eastwards and westwards on Germany and Germanoccupied territory. Enemy rescurces were attacked on land and sea. One force went to Western Germany to continue the disorganisation of traffic and break down industries. The other went to North-West France, to attack the German warships in Brest. In Western Germany, Munster, a junction of many railways, was attacked while it was still smouldering after the heavy bombing of the night before. Again the city was made a mass of flames. In one railway yard there was an enormous fire and railway sheds were rent by terrific explosions. Though Munster is the capital of Westphalia, Dortmund is its largest town and a great centre of heavy industry. Here also there was widespread destruction, of which one report stated that: ."A huge factory building was seen ablaze, with fires all around and fires also in the docks.” Cologne, Dusseldorf and Emden were among other towns where our bombers attacked industries and supplies. In Holland, where various objectives. including the docks at Rotterdam, were attacked during the night, a blazing warehouse lit up an enemy supply ship on the Zuider Zee. not far from Amsterdam. The ship was seen from one of our bombers, which scored a hit on it.

At' Brest, very heavy armour-pierc-ing bombs were dropped on the berths of the three German warships — Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen. The increased strength of the defences is proof, if proof wore needed. of the value which the enemy attached to these warships, and of the anxiety to got them ready for sea. In the course of last night’s attack, a liner of about 10,000 tons was sighted at anchor in the harbour at Brest. Diving down to attack, and flattening out at about 50 feet, one of the British aircraft hit the ship with a powerful bomb, the explosion of which was seen fair and square on the stern.