GERMAN PORTS POUNDED

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23360, 20 June 1941, Page 7

GERMAN PORTS POUNDED

R.A.F. Continues Heavy Raids

BOMBERS AGAIN OVER BREST

(Received, June 19, 11 p.m.)

(U.P.A.) LONDON, June 19. The Royal Air Force continued its offensive against the enemy last night with heavy raids on ports and naval and military bases in Germany and occupied territory. Machines of the Bomber Command, for the eighth night in succession, were over northwestern Germany, where ports and naval bases were raided. A particularly heavy attack was made against Bremen. The docks at Brest, where three German warships are sheltering, were also bombed. From these operations four British aircraft are missing.

In operations over the English Channel and Northern France last evening, nine enemy aircraft were destroyed at a cost of four British fighters. These operations were carried out by strong formations of heavy aircraft of the Bomber Command, accompanied by squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes. Boulogne and a German military camp in Northern France were attacked in one of the heaviest raids delivered on the enemy in this area since the war began. The British bombers and fighters crossed and recrossed the Channel for seven hours, going out with bombs and returning for fresh supplies of fuel, bombs, and ammunition. While some formations attacked Boulogne and the military camp, which was some miles inland, fighters maintained patrols along the coast. The bomber formations did considerable damage to buildings, stores, and dumps at Boulogne, and machine-guns and bombs did extensive damage at the military camp. In spite of intense anti-aircraft fire all the British bombers returned safely. A German supply ship of 1500 tons was bombed and hit by a Coastal Command aircraft off Brest yesterday. Making two attacks, the pilot flew over the ship and dropped a quick stick 9! bombs. He saw two bombs hit the ship amidships, below the waterlihe, and immediately afterwards a great gush of steam belched from the funnel, as though the bombs had exploded in the engine-room. Industrial Plant Bombed

Forces of Blenheim aircraft of the Bomber Command with a strong fighter escort on Tuesday attacked an important industrial plant near Bethune, in occupied France. The attack was made in daylight and there was no cloud cover. Sticks of bombs were dropped right across the plant. Fires were' at once started and in a few seconds quantities of smoke were rising high into the air. “As I watched the smoke curling up I imagined that there would be no more to see.” said one observer, “but evidently the flames had touched off chemicals in the works for there were sudden bright explosions. They must have caused much destruction in the curious onion shaped cooling towers for the clouds of.smoke immediately increased and thickened.” As the aircraft made for home their ?ath was lined with black puffs of exloding anti-aircraft shells.

Overhead against a background of blue sky and very high cirrus clouds fighters were busy beating off-a. yel-low-nosed Messerschmitt which had got among the British bombers. Four ’of them opened fire at close range. The enemy was bit and broke off the fight with black smoke pouring from the roof and the port wing. Ground .crews were waiting at/ the base for the bombers’ return, and as they circled before landing word went round that a}l were safe.

One pilot reported that a Messerschmitt tried to attack the bombers as soon as they crossed the French-coast and until they were half-way back across the Channel.

“Forty to 50 Messerschmitts attacked us for 30 minutes,’’ said one pilot’s report. The Polish Squadron, which formed part of the escort, was constantly attacked while over France, but it prevented the enemy aeroplanes getting near the bombers. During this operation Spitfires and Hurricanes of other squadrons swept tlje Channel and northern France.

The total figure of enemy casualties, 13, includes only those aircraft seen to crash, and takes no account of those probably destroyed, but which did not crash within sight of British aircraft. The Royal Air Force’s losses in these operations were 10 fighters. \ Communications Attacked A Heavy raid was carried out by the Royal Air Force on the industrial areas of western Germany an Tuesday night. Cologne and Dusseldorf had their seventh successive heavy night raid, and again the British bombs caused many large fires and did extensive damage. Rail and water communications were singled out for special attention, and these received a hammering. A number of enemy aircraft crossed the coasts of Britain last night, but activity was on a very small scale. Bombs were dropped at a few points in East Anglia and at one point in the east Midlands. The damage was slight and no casualties were reported.

London had another night without an attack,

An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique, dealing with activity in daylight yesterday, states: “A very small number iof enemy aircraft flew over the coastal areas in south Wales in the afternoon. There were no reports of any bombs having been dropped.”

SINKING OF U.S. VESSEL

PHOTOGRAPHS OF SUBMARINE

(Received June 20, 12.15 a.m.) WASHINGTON, June 19. The United States Under-Secretary of State (Mr Sumner Welles) announced survivors in Cape Town of the Robin Moor have excellent photographs of the guilty U-boat, with which the United States will determine beyond doubt the U-boat’s identity. A message from Cape Town says the Germans used a French submarine to sink the Robin Moor, according to the second officer of the Robin Moor, Mr Taylor. “I plainly saw the words La Touche in raised letters on the side of the conning tower,” Mr Taylor said. “The letters were painted, over in an attempt to hide them. There was also a cartoon of a head of a Guernsey cpw on the conning tower, with the inscription; ‘La vache qui rit?’ “The commander was certainly German, although he spoke English.

EXPORTS FROM BRAZIL

(Received June 20, 12.15 a.m.)

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 19. Brazil has banned the export of certain important defence materials, including rubber and manganese, to all countries except the United States.