AGAIN BLASTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 November 1943, Page 3

AGAIN BLASTED

FOR SECOND TIME IN 24 HOURS

Great Sea of Fire Raging in Berlin

EXTENDED DEVASTATION OF INDUSTRIAL AND OTHER AREAS

POLICE CORDON DRAWN ROUND STRICKEN CITY

LONDON, November 24. In another heavy raid on Berlin last night the second in ,24 hours, the R.A.F. in about 20 minutes dropped over 1,000 tons of bombs on the German capital. Big fires which were started in the previous night’s attack were still burning when the bombers arrived over the city, and today’s communique from the Air Ministry states that the first results show that the bombing was again concentrated and effective. Targets in Western Germany were also attacked last night Mosquitos. Twenty R.A.F. aircraft are missing from the night’s operations. . , , A Mosquito flew over Berlin two hours after last night s attack and the pilot saw a great sea of fire, several miles m diameter. Outside this area there were still more big fires. Many big factories in Berlin have been gutted, amongst them great electrical works. Berlin is far and away the most important centre of electrical manufacture in Germany, its industrial establishments in this category being vital to the Luftwaffe. . , A police cordon is reported to have been drawn round Berlin to prevent the escape of people desperately intent on seeking refuge in the country. During the past .week 5,000 tons of bombs have been dropped on Berlin and in all this year some 12,000 tons of bombs have been dropped on the German capital. The first signs of the latest big raid were, as before, the unbroken roar of our bombers passing over the English coast for three-quarters of an hour in the early evening. Then followed the ominous closing-down, one after the other, of the radio stations all over Germany. Later the German radio, broadcast that the capital had suffered yet another “terror” raid and new devastation had been caused. Reports of the previous night’s tremendous raid are still coming in. Neutral correspondents on the spot say that the A.R.P. and fire services were quite unable to cope with the situation, and whole areas were blotted out. Enormous fires were raging hours after the attack, and the city was still covered with a great blanket of thick black smoke. A neutral correspondent says that the Potsdammer railway station was practically razed, and the Annhalter' station was put out of action. A number of the German Ministries were burnt out or badly damaged.