WIDESPREAD RAID BY R.A.F.

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23248, 7 February 1941, Page 9

WIDESPREAD RAID BY R.A.F.

Bombers Attack Dusseldorf DOCKS IN CHANNEL PORTS HIT (BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) (Received February 6, 10.30 a.m.) RUGBY, February 5. British bombers, escorted by fighters carried out raids over Northern France to-day following up successful attacks made last night on the channel ports of Cherbourg, Dieppe. Dunkirk, and Ostend. Other bombers attacked Dusseldorf, where a German bomber was shot down, and considerable damage was done. “The Royal Air Force resumed its attacks on the enemy last night over a wide area and on a sc'.le larger than for the last fortnight,” states the Air Ministry communique, reporting these operations. “Clouds prevented a full observation, but the results were satisfactory. "Bombers attacked Dusseldorf, where fires were seen to break out and a train in the neighbourhood was also hit, and burst into flames. High explosive bombs fell on two nearby railway junctions.

“Other aircraft of the same command bombed the docks at Brest, where a very large fire was followed by some heavy explosions. Another force bombed Dunkirk, Dieppe, and Ostend, where the docks were hit. “The aerodromes at Vannes and other places in occupied France, also the docks at Bordeaux, were successfullv attacked. Coastal Command aircraft visited Cherbourg twice, and the docks and repair yards were straddled with high explosive Four of our aircraft are missing. “Royal Air Force aircraft have been very active over the English Channel and north-west France to-day. A number of fighter patrols have been maintained, resulting in the destruction of one enemy bomber over the Channel during the morning and a second during the afternoon. “Early in the afternoon, a squadron of our bombers, escorted by consider* able fighter strength, carried out a sweep over northern France, during which the aerodrome at St. Omer was successfully attacked. Two enemy aircraft were shot down in combat, and five of our fighters are missing.” One of the most persistent of last night’s Bomber Command raids was cn the naval base of Brest, between 8 and 10 p.m. The weather over Brest was favourable, and the whole plan of the docks and the outline of the jetties were clearly visible from the air.

At the height of this attack a fire was seen to break out on the docks, and it was vividly described by one of the many pilots who reported it. The fire appeared to be the result of burning oil. , ' “As we were vertically over the dock,” the pilot said, “there was an explosion that almost blinded us. At first I thought a flare had gone off inside the aircraft, then I thought wa had been hit, and that the aircraft was on fire. Looking down we saw an area about 150 yards long on fire, with the flames shooting up to 200 feet. The fire was just beside the water’s edge. We cruised around and watched it grow. Black smoke was pouring up and it rose higher than our aircraft, about 9000 feet.” Royal Air Force aircraft dropped one of the heaviest type of high-ex-plosive bombs, together with a large number of incendiaries, when Dusseldorf was raided last night. As part of widespread activity cipvering a large area, both coast and inland, this industrial town was attacked for four hours and a half. . The sky was clouded over during the earlier part of the raid, and some aircraft were forced to seek alternative targets. One of these bombers attacked a nearby aerodrome, from about 1000 feet, dropping bombs among the buildings and spraying the whole area with machine-gun fire As the aircraft was leaving, the pilot saw a military lorry approaching along a road, and, swooping down to* about 100 feet, the British crew attacked with their forward machine-guns. A German communique says the enemy last night bombed Dusseldori and damaged buildings. Five persons were killed and 24 injured.