SUCCESS OF ROYAL AIR FORCE

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21231, 30 September 1940, Page 7

SUCCESS OF ROYAL AIR FORCE

IMPORTANT MILITARY OBJECTIVES DAMAGED BERLIN POWER STATION—DOCKS AT WILHELMSHAVEN (Official Wireless) (Received Sept. 30, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 29 A surprising number of place names is a feature of a detailed statement issued by the Air Ministry in a bulletin regarding Royal Air Force attacks on Germany last night. The bulletin states that power stations at Berlin, the dockyard at Bremen and Wilhelmshaven, a munition factory at Hanau, and rail communication centres over a wide area of Germany were among the many objectives attacked. Other strong forces, operating at a shorter range, raided North Sea and Channel ports from Antwerp to Le Havre. The weather conditions over Germany last night were extremely bad, with low clouds entirely covering the many target areas and the downward visibility often restricted to an occasional glimpse through a momentary break in the cloud layer. Despite this handicap to navigation the raiders detailed for Berlin completed their 600-mile flight to the German capital, arriving over the city on schedule about midnight. They located and bombed the west powder station and the main transformer and switching station at Friedrichsfelde. High explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped, and bursts were seen close to the targets. A successful attack was also made on a railway junction at Stendal, some 65 miles due west of Berlin, and a series of attacks by heavy bombers was made on the naval dockyard at Wilhelmshaven in the early hours of the morning. Bomb bursts were seen within the dock area, and one well-aimed stick caused an explosion and an outbreak of fire. The docks at Bremen were also bombed in a high-level attack carried out shortly after two o’clock this morning.

Factory a Mass of Flames Strong forces of heavy bombers, penetrating deep into Western Germany, attacked a large munition factory at Hanas, fifteen miles east of Frankfurt-cm-Main. This important plant, which produces metal alloys for aeroplanes and torpedo and submarine parts, was heavily bombed in shallow-dive attacks. One of the first sorties scored direct hits on the factory buildings, causing great explosions and fires, which led following aircraft directly to the target. Sticks of high explosive bombs repeatedly straddled the plant. The large rectangular building, its roof fallen in, was seen to be enveloped in a mass of flames, and great clouds of black smoke from many other flres burning in the target area towered thousands of feet into the air. One aircraft which was detailed to attack the Hanau factory, but was unable to reach it owing to temporary engine trouble, located and bombed instead an oil storage plant at Frankfurt. Its high explosive bombs straddled the target and one great explosion was seen after the load of incendiaries had been dropped. Damage to Railways Other night raiders, concentrating on rail communications, scored direct hits on the junction at Hamburg, bombed the main line station at Hanover, and started flres in a wood bordering the railway line near Ommen, twelve miles east of Zwolle. Railway yards and sidings at Munster, Hamm, Cologne and Mannheim were also attacked. At Cologne explosions, which continued for ten minutes, were seen to break out in the target area, and at Hamm, where bombs straddled the yard from north to south, a building close to the tracks was set ablaze. A direct hit was scored on the flarepath of an aerodrome near Basseheim. Other aerodromes in Germany on which bombs were dropped during the night were those at Magdeburg, Munster and Handorf. In Holland the enemy-occupied air bases at Texel and Eindhoven were attacked. In the night’s counter offensive operations against the German invasion bases the heaviest attacks were launched against Boulogne and Le Havre. Shipping docks at Fecamp, Wimereux, Antwerp and Dunkirk were also bombed. On arrival at Le Havre one pilot saw a large fire a quarter of a mile west of the harbour as a result of an earlier attack during the night. Another fire was also burning strongly. More Bombs and Fires More bombs were added to the blaze, many bursts being seen in the dock area, and among the seaside buildings more fires broke out. Our aircraft were over Le Havre for two hours, and besides damage to the docks two direct hits are believed to have been scored on merchant vessels in the harbour. Flames leapt from bomb bursts in the harbour. At Calais incendiary bombs fell alongside the inner basin and heavier bombs on the wharves. At Fecamp the harbour was hit, and more flres were started at Boulogne. At Antwerp docks 3 and 4 are believed to have been straddled, but low drifting clouds handicapped detailed observations. Heavy bombs were also dropped among the gun positions at Cap Gris Nez, their bursts being seen through a haze of cloud well within the target area. Work Paralysed Goebbels, broadcasting, admitted that the Royal Air Force raids over Germany paralysed the work of the Hitler Youth in some districts. 5000 Tons of Bombs The German news agency stated that raiders last night dropped 5000 tons of bombs on England, of which 4000 tons fell on London.