HAMBURG IN FLAMES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 July 1943, Page 4

HAMBURG IN FLAMES

AFTER GREATEST AIR ATTACK IN HISTORY 2 ? 300 Tons of Bombs Dropped in Fifty Minutes GERMANS ADMIT IMPOSSIBILITY OF GAUGING DAMAGE WHOLE CITY ABLAZE UNDER DENSE PALL OF SMOKE LONDON, July 25. The heaviest air raid of all time was made by the R.A.F. last night on Hamburg, the great German war production centre. More than 2,300 tons of bombs were dropped in 50 minutes. The night’s operations, which included attacks on other targets in North-West Germany and in Italy, cost 12 bombers. The first reports state that vast fires were burning in the city, from which thick smoke was rising four miles high. Many crews reported violent explosions. Bombers making’ an attack in the Ruhr at the same time as the raid on Hamburg could see the fires in Hamburg 200 miles away, The bomber crews encountered thick clouds over the North Sea on the outward journey, but as they reached the land the clouds broke up and over the targets there was only a haze. Observers could pick up the river and decks, except at the end of the attack, when smoke and flames were all that could be seen. • A GERMAN RADIO REPORT STATED THAT AT 8 O’CLOCK THIS MORNING IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO GAUGE THE FULL EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE. THE WHOLE CITY OF HAMBURG SEEMED TO BE IN FLAMES AND A PALL OF SMOKE MADE IT AS DARK AS MIDNIGHT. The German defences- were swamped by the attack. Some German night fighters were up. One Stirling bomber collided with an enemy fighter, which was seen to spin to the ground. Though damaged, the Stirling managed to get back to its base. While the Hamburg attack was going on, intruder aircraft were operating over enemy airfields. One enemy plane was shot down. The United States Eighth Air Force today attacked Kiel and Hamburg and medium bombers, escorted by R.A.F. Spitfires, attacked industrial targets near Ghent. Italy was also attacked by the R.A.F. last night by Lancasters returning from North Africa. Without loss they bombed the port of Leghorn. What was believed to be a big oil storage depot was seen to go up in flames. On their way to North Africa the Lancasters bombed electric power stations in North Italy on July 16. Two Spitfires attacked two enemy motor .vessels off Le Havre and left both in flames.