HEAVY DAMAGE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 249, 29 July 1940, Page 5

HEAVY DAMAGE

AIR RAIDS ON GERMANY.

STRONG BRITISH FORCES.

FIGHT AT 10,000 FEET

(United Press Association—Copyrighti LONDON, July 27.

Oil stores in German hands wore heavily damaged last night when strong forces of Royal Air Force bombers attacked oil refineries and storage depots. The objectives were five refineries and depots at Nantes, and three separate installations at St. Nazaire, with a total storage capacity of 142,000 tons. Both objectives were located shortly after midnight, and each was systematically bombed for over an hour by separate striking forces. Tons of highexplosive bombs and several hundred small incendiary bombs were dropped on the two targets in the face of considerable opposition from ground defences.

At Nantes, solvos of heavy calibre bombs were seen to burst in many parts of the target area. A big storage depot was straddled. Great clouds oi smoke were seen issuing from the centre of one of the refineries, and many ot the fires started were still burning strongly when the last of the bombers left for home.

In the attack on the St. Nazaire oil depot, repeated hits on the target were followed by an explosion, and clouds of black smoke. The western end of the depot appeared to have been particularly heavily damaged, and one raiding crew reported a series of explosions in this area, which continued for some time after the bombing had ceased.

Other aircraft of the Bomber Command, overcoming adverse weather over northern Germany, succeeded in renewing the attacks on railway yards at Hamm. Bombs were seen to burst in the centre of the yards. A nearby railway junction was straddled by a row of heavy calibre bombs, and direct hits were made on an important power station. Attack on Cherbourg. Heavy explosions and fires broke out after Blenheims of the Coastal Command had raided German oil stores at Cherbourg last night; . They flew through bad -weather to their objective and dropped many salvos of heavy and incendiary bombs. One pilot, coming in over the tanks, watched bombs from the aircraft ahead of him explode and start fires. His own bombs added to the flames . Another pilot dropped all his bombs in one salvo. White smoke billowed tip from the target, and a minute after his bombs burst there was a series of heavy explosions. When one Blenheim ran in to attack the pilot could not see the target because of bad visibility pnd .dazzling searchlights. He made anotlipr run*. .This time his aircraft was hit. Nevertheless, he came in a third time and found the target. An Air Ministry communique states: “Gin Friday our bombers made daylight. raids .on „the.- Dortmund- power station and,..the. Dutch aerodromes 'of S'chiphol and Waalhaven. All our aircraft returned safely. “Last night, because of adverse weather, bomber operations were chiefly confined to attacks on oil depots at Cherbourg, iSt. Nazaire, and Nantes. One of our aircraft is missing. “Toi-day 011 aircraft of the Coastal Command successfully bombed an enemy supply ship off the Norwegian coast. The crew were »een> to abandon the ship.” In- a raid at iSterkrade on Friday a big chemical works, which is- one of the chief supply centres fo;r cobalt, nickel, and catalyst, used in oil hydrogenations, was heavily bombed by several aircraft which- scored a number cf direct hits. Oil Factories Attacked. Further details of Thursday' night’s .raids, by the Royal Air Force over Germany were released bv the Air Ministry news service. Bombs wer© dropped on synthetic oil factories in the Ruhr, where fires were started and heavy explosions were heard. Oil tanks at- one synthetic oil factory w/ere bombed for half an hour, and a large building near the tanks was completely gutted .

The large factory,at Gotha, where Messorsohmitt fighters are assembled and heavy tanks built, was bombed for 40 minutes. Fires wore started at both ends of the buildings, and direct hits Avere scored Avith heavy bombs. A pillar of fire nearly 100 feet high blazed up, and lit Ain the British aircraft at a. height of 7000 lost. Chemical Avorks were also attacked.

One of the aerodromes bombed was that at Amsterdam, Avhere bombs Avere droped on the tarmac and buildings, Av-hioh. were also machine-gunned.

The Aveather encountered on these flights was again bad, AA'ith loav cloud, thunderstorms, and severe 1 icing conditions, as avcll as enemy fighters, to contend Avith. When a Messerschmitt attacked one of two British bombers at a height of 10,000 feet over Dortmund, the battle Avas fought out in thei beams' of Germain. searchlights. The Messerehmitt fired as it approached, without scoring a hit, and as it turned steeply away, the rear gunner of the bomber got in a burst. The* Messerschmitt came; in again, and opened fire at 150 yards. The fire Avas returned, and the enemy aeroplane, wont into a 'vertical dive.

Another fight with a Messerschmitt at 12.50 in the morning Avas reported by a British homhey pilot. The. Gorman’s first burst missed, and the British rear gunner opened fire at 350 yards, but his shots appeared to go loav. The lighter came in again, end at the same distance the British gunner fired throe more bursts. The tracer bullets appealed to hit the Mess-er-schmitt, Avhieh Avent doivn in a steep dive, and was not scon again.—British Official Wireless.