AIR ATTACKS ON ENEMY SHIPPING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 153, 29 June 1940, Page 10

AIR ATTACKS ON ENEMY SHIPPING.

SEAPIAM BASES.

British Bombers Spread Destruction. AMMUNITION STOKE WRECKED. British Official Wireless. (Received 2.30 p.m.) • RUGBY, June 2S. The Air Ministry communique states: "During yesterday, 'in addition to their routine convoy escorts, aircraft of. ' the- Coastal Command carried out extensive reconnaissance over the North Sea, the English Channel - and the'.. coasts of Scandinavia .and Holland. In the course of these operations, which ■were continued during the - night, damage was done to enemy shipping. The seaplane bases at Helder and Texel -were bombed, and a Heinkel bomber was destroyed. Five of our aircraft failed to return.:"..'. . "Yesterday R.A.F. bombers also carried out deep reconnaissances over France, and' in the afternoon penetrated into Germany, as far as Hanover, where two oil tanks were set on fire. From these operations two of our bombers are missing. Two' of our fighters failed to return from escort patrol over France." Last, night our bombers attacked military objectives in Denmark . and North Germany. Oil tanks at Nybork Island, west of Copenhagen were set on fire, and an aircraft factory at Wisniar, in Meclenberg, was heavily bombed. Fires were started at an • aircraft factory at Deichshausen. Lock gates on Dortmund, on'the Ems Canal, were heavily damaged. Bargee on the canal, five miles north of Eeiseiibeck 'were bombed and one was blown "out of the water. Inland docks near Duisberg- were also bombed as well as 'marshalling'yards at Scbwcrte and Osnabi rick, and a munitions factory at Hcerdt, near Dusscldorf. All our aircraft returned safely: • . . - ■ "This morning Coastal Command aircraft attacked and blew up an ammunition store at Willemsoord harbour in Holland." ... ■' An Air Ministry bulletin contains details of an attack this morning on the ammunition store at Willemsoord. It was officially announced in an Air Ministry . communique that a young Canadian, holder of the D.S.C., was flying a Hudson aircraft of the Coastal Command on •' a dawn patrol. He approached the German occupied harbour at 13,000 ft, then shut off his engine. Ho pulled out of the dive at 3000 ft, and the explosion of his bombs was the first thing tlie German ground defences know of-his presence. As he circled the town after hie attack, he-saw a big explosion in one of the ammunition stores lie had wrecked and a large fire among buildings on the doek'sidc.