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Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 301, 27 September 1940, Page 5

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THE AERIAL OFFENSIVE. R.A.F. TAKE® HEAVY TOLL. MANY TARGETS SMASHED. (United Press Association —Copyright.) (Received This Day, 12.15 p.m.) LONDON, September 26. In the attack on Osnabruck many direct hits were scored on the tracks and goods siding and by the light of the fires started in the yard the crew of one of the bombers Saw flying debris from a tall chimney which collapsed across the track.

Over Germany bombs wore also dropped at Lubeek, on the railway yards near Hanover, on the main line track at Lunon. The canal was straddled and the dock gates were hit in an attack on the river port of Haltern, southwest of Munster, and at Rendeburg to the west of Kiel. A factory was bombed and set on fire. The Yarel aerodrome and the Warnemunde seaplane base were also attacked.

In Belgium heavy and medium bomber forces raided the docks at Antwerp and a large power station at Brussels. Bombs were seen in both cases to explode within the target area. Shipping concentrations and harbour installations at Flushing, Dunkirk, Ostend, Calais and Boulonge were again heavily bombed, the raids starting in the early hours of Thursday morning and continuing till shortly before dawn. Polish crews operating with the Royal Air Force took part in the attacks on Ostend, where hits were scored on the. main wet docks and the quayside basins in which a number of ships were lying. The attacks were pressed home from low levels in the face of intense anti-aircraft five and the glare of many searchlights.

In addition to the damage caused by high explosive bombs, they started heavy fires within the docks by incendiary bombs. Fires and heavy explosions were also reported at Calais by medium bomber crews who delivered a concentrated attack lasting half a'n hour on the lock and shipping basins. 1

At Boulogne which was raided- at intervals for three and a half hours, many violent explosions were caused. One was described as terrific by an observer. It momentarily lit up the whole town. Groat fires wore started around eight of the main, basins, and several of these, whose flames leapt 200 feet into the air, could be seen by , the crews of aircraft approaching the target from 50 miles out to sea. i