WAR FROM THE AIR

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21280, 26 November 1940, Page 5

WAR FROM THE AIR

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS RAIDS ON CONTINENT DOCKS AND AERODROMES (Omclal Wireless) (Received Nov. 26, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Nov. 25 An Air Ministry communique states: Early on Sunday morning aircraft of the Coastal Command attacked an aerodrome at Christiansand. Other aircraft attacked the harbour of the Hook of Holland. The Air Arm, operating with the Coastal Command, bombed the dock at Boulogne. Last night the Bomber Command again concentrated its attacks on shipyards and industrial plants at Hamburg. Many fires and explosions followed the bombing. Other targets last night included the Altona gasworks, the Wilhelmshaven docks, a chemical factory at Harburg-Wiliielmsburg, part of Boulogne, the Den Helder dockyard, anti-aircraft and searchlight positions, and enemy aerodrome and seaplane bases. One of our planes is missing. Hamburg Shipyards Battered Hamburg bore the brunt of the widespread attack on German docks and shipyards last night. The Blohm and Voss shipbuilding yards there, which have been so often ' raided i\i recent weeks, were oncO again visited by British heavy bombers, according to the Air Ministry news service. The .first attack made between 7 and 8 p.m., and during the hour many tons of high explosives and nearly 2000 incendiary bombs were dropped on the vast acreage of the most important privately-owned shipyard in Germany. The reason for so many raids on this one objective is that no one raid could destroy more than part of the shipyards, and it is certain that the Germans will have been making every effort to repair the widespread damage already done. This yard has four slips, 800 feet long by 80 feet wide, and eight floating docks. During recent years an enormous graving dock has been building, and if the Royal Air Force had allowed it would have been ready this year. So extensive are the yards that the great Blohm and Voss aeroplane factories appear, when seen from the air, to be merely a small appendage. Bombs Explode on Target There was thick clouds over Hamburg, but despite every obstacle our pilots were able to see their bombs exploding on the target and afterwards observed a good number of fires and explosions. A second attack was made about 4 a.m. Though bursts were seen on the yards clouds prevented a final observation. Medium bombers also raided the Thenania Ossag refineries in the Grasbrook district of Hamburg and the gasworks at Altona. Some pilots found so unbroken a blanket of cloud over Hamburg that they sought alternative targets. At Harkyurg, an important NordDeutsche chemical works was hit and afterwards many fires and explosions were seen. Through a gap in the clouds over Wilhelmshaven bombs dropped from nprth to south across the dockyard. At the Dutch port of Den Helder a large dockside warehouse was seen to collapse in the glare of exploding bombs. A small force attacked the docks at Boulogne shortly before 7 p.m. Bombs exploded on the dock near the railway bridge, also on the wet dock, where a large fire was started. PLANE BLEW UP HIT BY CANNON-FIRE PILOT’S NARROW ESCAPE BALES OUT JUST IN TIME (Omclal Wireless) (Received Nov. 26, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, 25 The story is told of a Spitfire pilot who baled out over the Sussex coast after his machine had been hit by cannon-fire. The pilot had been fighting off Dover, and was hit. After breaking away from the second combat flames came from the exhaust and the heat from the engine could be felt in the cockpit. ‘‘l gave the full throttle, climbed to 2000 feet, rolled the aircraft over on its back and baled out,” said the pilot. A few seconds afterwards the aircraft blew up. ENTERTAINING TROOPS MR ANTHONY EDEN’S THANKS PLANS FOR THE WINTER (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, Nov. 25 In a letter sent to the heads of 1 municipalities and chairmen of other | civic authorities, the Secretary for : War, Mr Anthony Eden, expresses j thanks for the work of the past 12 | months devoted to the welfare and I comfort of the troops, and puts forj ward suggestions to meet entertain- \ ment and cultural needs for the wini ter. , Mr Eden points out that service j men will depend in the coming months upon local hospitality for L their happiness and entertainment, i and suggests the formation of comj mittees to arrange and supervise en- * tertainment and recreative activities in conjunction with the local welfare officer.