BRILLIANT FLASH

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 37, 13 February 1943, Page 5

BRILLIANT FLASH

ENORMOUS EXPLOSION

Wilhelmshaven U-Boat Base Heavily Raided British Official Wireless Rec. 1 p.m. RUGBY, Feb. 12. "Last night aircraft of the Bomber Command made a heavy attack on Wilhelmshaven naval base and submarine building centre. Three of our aircraft are missing," says an Air Ministry report. Just before six o'clock last night, six minutes after the raid began, an enormous explosion was seen by our aircrews over Wilhelmshaven, states the Air Ministry news service. A Halifax pilot said: "It lit up the sky with a brilliant red glow and seemed to < spread for miles under the cloud bank before it died away. A vast area of cloud was coloured, and for a few seconds the light was so brilliant that it silhouetted other bombers. I should., think we must have touched off a store of mines or an arsenal or something pretty good, the pilot added. The explosion started at the centre of a large fire which broke out shortly after the first bombs went down. v Mosquito planes bombed targets in north-west Germany, Belgium <*nd France this afternoon and aircraft ot the Fighter and Army Co-operation

Command attacked targets in Holland, Belgium and Northern France. One fighter is missing. Berlin radio -says the R.A.F. last night was over the north German coastal area and caused civilian casualties and damage to buildings. The R.A.F. also made a nuisance raid on west Germany, where minor damage was caused. Two planes, it is claimed, were shot down. It is officially stated that enemy activity to-day has been limited to one aircraft which crossed the south coast of England about noon and flew a short distance inland. No bombs were dropped.