RING OF FLAMES

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21195, 19 August 1940, Page 7

RING OF FLAMES

ATTACK ON BOULOGNE SHOWERS OF BOMBS MUCH DAMAGE DONE (Official Wireless) (Received August 19, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, August 18 Further details of the air attack on Boulogne at dusk yesterday show that three tons of high explosive bombs, interspersed with showers of incendiary bombs, were dropped on the harbour by Fairey battle aircraft of the Coastal Command. The targets were enemy ships on formations and seaplanes assembled in the basin. Despite the force of the opposition from the ground defence the planes dived effectively on all sides from a low height. The main pier at the entrance was hit several times, but most of the bombs, fell plumb among the ships and seaplanes in the basin. One of the seaplanes was struck and came up above the smoke of the explosion in a thousand pieces. One section of the anti-aircraft guns was particularly troublesome to an aircraft which attacked from the landward side of the harbour, so the pilot interrupted his bombing and let his machine-gunners deal with them in one dive, and less than a hundred rounds of small-arms ammunition was sufficient to silence these enemy guns. Then the plane leisurely resumed its bombing attack on more important targets. When another plane had unloaded its bombs squarely on two objectives the heavy coastal battery opened fire as it turned for home, and shells from this battery followed the aircraft to within four miles of the English coast. All the Coastal Command bombers came back without the smallest damage. Blenheim fighters which escorted the .battle planes report that when the attack ended the Boulogne basin was ringed and criss-crossed by spreading flames. Oil plants, munitions factories, aircraft stores and railway targets in Germany were bpmbed and attacks made on 26 aerodromes in Northwest France, Holland and Belgium. All our aircraft returned.