R.A.F. CAUSES HAVOC

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 86, 12 April 1941, Page 7

R.A.F. CAUSES HAVOC

fire Brigades Work Night And Day To Halt Inferno

( United Press Association.—Copyright.— Rwd. noon.)

LONDON, April 1 1

The Zurich correspondent of "Exchange Telegraph" says that neutral correspondents in Berlin report that theR.A.F raid on Berlin on Wednesday was the heaviest yet. The damage is described as terrific, especially in the Unter den Linden Government district. Three residential quarters about the main railway station were completely burnt out.

All fire brigades in Berlin were working until noon on April 10. Casualties were at least 2000.

A British Official Wireless message quotes an Air Ministry communique stating that yesterday afternoon a small force of Blenheims attacked Borkum, one of the Friesian islands off the coast of Denmark. Coming in at sea level, bombers achieved a complete surprise. Direct hits were observed on buildings, and troops running for cover were heavily machine-gunned. One of our planes is missing.

Last night a number of targets in the Ruhr and Rhineland were bombed despite poor weather, the principal target being Dusaeldorf.

Conditions were more favourable for another force of bombers which attacked naval units at Brest. Both the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau, German battleships, were seen to be straddled by bombs from several aircraft. Damage was also done to docks. The Focke-Wolf aerodrome at Merignac was also successfully attacked. From all these night operations seven of our planes are missing.