RAIDS ON GERMANY

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21176, 27 July 1940, Page 7

RAIDS ON GERMANY

iMANY DIRECT HITS DAMAGE AT AERODROMES (Ofllclal Wireless) .{Received July 27, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, July 26 An Air Ministry communique states that last night Royal Air Force bombers carried out extensive operations over a wide area, the object, as on previous occasions, being to reduce the striking power of the German Air Force by attacking oil supplies, aircraft factories and aerodromes. Thus oil supplies at Bremen, Sterkrade, JJottrop, Castrop, Rauxel, Dortmund and Kamen were set on fire. Aircraft factories at Kassel, Eschwege and Gotha were attacked, together with 14 aerodromes in Holland and Germany. Besides these primary targets the Dortmund-Ems Canal, the Hamburg docks and other military objectives, including blast furnaces and goods yards in the Ruhr, were bombed. An enemy fighter which attempted to intercept our bombers was shot down. Five of our planes are missing. Of a total of over 1000 largescale raids made by the Royal Air Force on Germany and Ger-man-occupied countries within the past three months 161 raids were made on industrial targets, 229 on aerodromes, 258 on military objectives and 275 on communications.

Between May 10, when the intensified raids began with the invasion of Holland and Belgium, and June 17, when Paris was reached, no fewer than 416 big-scale operations were carried out over Germany and occupied countries, while since that time 517 raids have been directed at the enemy’s main military and industrial centres. The British have made 377 bombing raids on targets in Germany itself between June 1 and July 18. 1000 Bombings on Germany The Royal Air Force has bombed German-occupied territories over 1000 times in the last three months. These were not isolated raids, but large-scale operations carried out day and night. Of the total, 517 thrusts directed at main military and industrial centres were made in a month. Attacks on air bases in Belgium Holland, France and Germany have made it extremely difficult for Germany to organise massed attacks on Britain. Tremendous havoc has been created to oil refineries, munition works, dock yards, aeroplane factories and power plants. Some were rendered practically useless. Sixty-six raids have been made on the German Navy since the outbreak of the war.