New Bombers Will Soon Be Ready

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 200, 23 August 1940, Page 8

New Bombers Will Soon Be Ready

IMPROVED TYPE

Twice As Powerful And Faster Than Machines Now Used (British Official Wireless.— Roc. 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, August 22. The success of the British fighter aircraft in defending Britain, and the bombers in attacks on Germany and enemy-occupied territories, has not let the authorities here relax their efforts to produce more powerful machines in the bomber classes. According to reliable reports, new British bombers which will soon be brought into service are twice as powerful in every respect as those now in use, and despite their great size are extraordinarily fast. One feature of the new bombers is stated to be the increase of the number of machine-guns carried. Machine-guns are held by British designers to be more effective and deadly than cannon, in which the Nazi Air Force has placed so much reliance. The older type of Wellington bomber has given even finer performances now that the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines have been fitted in place of the previous type. Their speed is now estimated to be considerably higher than formerly, which was about 260 miles an hour. Although weather conditions were unfavourable, further attacks on enemy oil refineries were carried out last night, states an Air Ministry communique. Chief targets were the important refineries at Magdeburg and installations at Hanover. At Caen and Abbeville aircraft bombed the aerodromes, causing explosions on runways and landing grounds and setting hangars on fire. Searchlight batteries were extinguished by gunfire. Attacks were also made on aerodromes at Quakenbruck, near Hanover, and on the island of Texel. Railway centres were bombed in the Ruhr and Rhineland. Bombs were dropped' on a tunnel between Ninburg and Verden, north-west of Hanover, as a supply train entered. One Britis aircraft has not returned. Pilots Encounter Snow. Icy coldness and snow wefe encountered by the crews of some R.A.F. aircraft which bombed key centres of the German oil industry on Wednesday night. At only a few thousand feet severe icing conditions were met with and one pilot had to descend to 2000 feet. Fifteen miles east of Magdeburg one of the raiders ran into a heavy storm of snow, which penetrated' into the cockpit and formed a layer about two inches deep over the side panels. The pilot's flying suit was also coated with snow. At Hanover much the same conditions were encountered, yet as at the other targets the R.A.F. aircraft persisted in their attack. One pilot dropped a stick of heavy bombs and canisters of incendiary bombs from east to west across the refinery, but clouds closed in again, and he could not see what happened after that. As well as important oil refineries, the R.A.F. on Wednesday bombed the seaplane base on the island of Texel and a number of enemy-occupied aerodromes. One R.A.F. aircraft, appearing unexpectedly over Dekooy, in north Holland, surprised the ground staff, and the pilot first dropped' a number of heavy bombs, which struck and set fire to'a large hangar. This was followed by a salvo of lighter bombs, which sent the ground personnel dashing for shelter.