LOW LEVEL ATTACK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 March 1943, Page 4

LOW LEVEL ATTACK

ON RENAULT FACTORY NEAR IE MANS IMPORTANT PRODUCTION CENTRE VIOLENT EXPLOSION SEEN. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.45 a.m.)* RUGBY, March 10. In yesterday's dusk attacks on targets at Le Mans by Mosquitoes the subsidiary Renault factory near Le Mans and marshalling yards were bombed from a low level. Originally this was one of the subsidiary armament and traction factories of the great Renault works at Billancourt, on the outskirts of Paris. Before the fall of France the Le Mans factory was making crankshafts, tank tracks and links as well as repairing motor vehicles. After widespread destruction at Billancourt large l additions Were made to the Le Mans works. Whatever machinery could be salved from Billancourt probably was moved to Le Mans and the factory began to produce tanks, lorries, armoured fighting vehicles and aero engines. The factory has seven widelyspaced buildings linked by rail to each other and to the main railway line. The Mosquitoes bombed from heights of between 1500 and 50 feet. The attack was all over in two minutes, just before the light began to fail. In that time one of the main buildings in the northern part of the target collapsed and the roof of another was blown off. In the southern part of the target there was a violent explosion and clouds of dense black smoke arose.

The Air Ministry states: “Our fighters made sweeps over the Channel and Northern France this afternoon, in the course of which they destroyed one enemy fighter, without loss.” RAIDS ON BRITAIN SOME CASUALTIES & DAMAGE. BLOCK OF FLATS WRECKED. (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) LONDON, March 10. At least ten persons were killed in a German daylight raid yesterday on a south coast town, which a German communique says was Worthing. A number of people were seriously injured. Digging continued throughout the night at' a point near the sea front, where a block of flats was wrecked. Rescuers are still working, as it is thought there are women trapped under the ruins. The raiders were shot down by antiaircraft batteries during this attack. Raiders last night also scattered high explosives and incendiaries and extensive fires were started in Hull. This afternoon four enemy aircraft made a brief appearance over the south-west coast of England. Bombs dropped at one place caused neither casualties nor damage. Two of a small number of fighterbombers which attacked a south coast town yesterday were shot down by heavy and light anti-aircraft guns. Both planes fell into the sea. A rescue launch later reported finding a large patch of oil.