LARGE FIRES.

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

LARGE FIRES.

THREE-HOUR RAID.

Powerful High-Explosive

Bombs Used

Hrilish' Ollit-i:lI Win-less

Rl/GliY, April 11

An earlier Air Ministry communique stated that the attack Listed nearly throe hours and large lires were started in the centre of the city, where powerful high-explosive bombs were seen to burst.

As the bombers went in to attack Berlin, ail the defence-- of the city sprang into action. In the opinion oi many pilots, these defences had been strengthened since the last attack, but this new- attempt to make the city impregnable diil not prevent the bombers from discharging their loads of highexplosive bombs and many thousands of incendiaries on the centre of the city.

Boml>s were seen to bnr-t near the main railway sta-iion. and others exploded in the large goods yards. With the progress of the attack, t iie number of tires increased, and in the third hour of the raid a great lire sprang up in the heart of the capital, from which tremendous clouds of smoke surged high into the air.

Main Thoroughfare Hammered. The raiders bombed up and down Berlin's main 1 horoughlare. I liter den Linden, according to tin? Berlin News Agency, which -ay.- that high explosives and incendiaries were dropped in residential areas and on public buildings, and hit two hospitals. Incendiary bombs fell oil the famous Prussian State Library and the State Opera House. Several people were killed or wounded.

Ten tons of bombs were dropped on Sans Sottci Park and the ucnv Palace of Potsdam, the <igcney adds. Firemen reported that the Opera House wits a complete loss. The deuAe smoke attracted hundreds of spectators, but the fire was roped off. Hundreds of yards of hose crif-s-crossed the Unter den Linden.

Incendiary bombs fell on many other buildings in Unter den Linden. They gilttod the top floor of William the First's Palace <md the university, and also damaged office buildings. Bombs hit the Bellevuo (jastle.