SUCCESSFUL RAID

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 8, 21 October 1941, Page 5

SUCCESSFUL RAID

BOMBERS IN OCCUPIED FRANCE. ' AMMUNITION TRAIN ON FiRE. ENEMY AIRCRAFT DAMAGED. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Roc. 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 20. Pilots of the Fighter Command carried out a successful sortie into occupied France this morning. They derailed and set on fire an ammunition train, damaged the tender of one goods train and the engine of a. third, shot up enemy aircraft on the ground and, on the way home, raked with fire groups of barges near Calais. The pilots crossed the French coast and flew low in search of their targets. They attacked the ammunition train first, at almost point-blank range, in the face of fire from anti-aircraft and machine guns mounted on the train. One pilot hit the third ammunition waggon. “It blew up with orange flashes and a terrific explosion,” the pilot reported on his return. “Other waggons became involved, and before we left the whole train -was derailed and on fire.”

Another pilot saw nearly a score of Mossorsohmitt 1.09’s on an aerodrome. He swept over them at zero foot and blew large holes in the wings and fuselage and broke off the tail of the first lie attacked. Another collapsed in pieces on the ground. The pilot returned and set fire to another Messerschmitt 100. During these attacks he was fired, at by about 15 anti-aircraft guns without effect. This pilot then went on to shoot up the tender of a goods train. Soon after this operation other fighter pilots attacked a horse-drawn heavy transport column behind Dieppe. They raked the convoy from a height of 50 feet, and about 100 German troops were seen to dive for a hedgerow in panic*. Seven of the transports were wrecked and the pilots claim a high percentage, of casualties among the German troops.—British Official Wireloss. v