RAIN OF FIRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 July 1942, Page 3

RAIN OF FIRE

FOLLOWED BY HIGH EXPLOSIVES POWERFUL R.A.F. RAID ON HAMBURG ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL OF THE WAR. MUCH DAMAGE DONE IN DOCK AREAS. LONDON, July 27. Air Marshal Sir A. T. Harris, chief of the Bomber Command, Ims sent his congratulations to the crews of the extremely powerful force of bombers which raided Hamburg last night. It was a magnificent effort, he said, and could be classed as one of the outstandingly successful raids of the whole war. It completed a week’s work, carried out in the face of the most difficult weather conditions, which the Germans will long have cause to remember.

The first wave of heavy and medium bombers reached Hamburg just before 1 o’clock, carrying a maximum load of incendiary bombs. Before they left, a second great wave attacked with another load of bombs —far more incendiaries than high explosives. In 35 minutes, over 175.000 incendiary bombs had fallen on Hamburg. Much of the old town was set on fire and there were many fires in the dock area. The last wave of bombers carried a full load of high explosives, including many 40001 b bombs. Hamburg is probably the most important target in all Germany, as no other town builds so many submarines. It is the best defended town in Germany. Twenty-nine bombers are missing from the attack on Hamburg and also on aerodromes in the Low Countries. Combing the figures for Flamburg and Duisberg, well under five per cent of the bombers employed against these heavily defended centres are missing. HIT BY BOMBS FACTORY IN SOUTH-WEST ENGLAND. VARIOUS OTHER ATTACKS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received his Day, 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, July 27. A raider over south-west England scored a direct hit on a factory and also on a club, where a search is continuing for two women. The same raider afterwards machine-gunned a railway station. Two hit and run raiders released high-explosives over two West Midland towns and the streets of one were machine-gunned. Another raider, over a south-west England town, dropped high explosives, mach-ine-gunned streets and caused damage in' a residential quarter. ENEMY SHIPPING ATTACKED OFF FRISIAN ISLANDS. RAID CASUALTIES IN BRITAIN NOT SERIOUS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) RUGBY, July 27. Coastal Command aircraft, without loss, attacked enemy shipping off the Frisian Islands. About thirty enemy aircraft came inland over Britain early this morning, flying singly and taking advantage of low clouds. Bombs were dropped in widely-separated areas. Casualties and damage have been reported from several places, but nowhere are they thought likely to be serious.