ALLIES RESUME AIR RAIDS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 2, 27 September 1939, Page 9

ALLIES RESUME AIR RAIDS

Plane Factory Bombed

ATTACK ON ZEPPELIN BASE Further Leaflets Dropped By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. LONDON, Sept. 25. The correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain at Romanshorn, in Switzerland, says it is reported than an air raid, either by British or French planes, put out of action the Friedrichshafen Zeppelin works, which were recently converted into a factory for making aeroplane motors. Explosions could be heard at Romanshorn, which is directly opposite Friedrichshafen, on Lake Constance.

The correspondent states that listeners judged that 30 bombs were dropped. Tracer bullets from anti-aircraft guns were seen. The Swiss authorities are inquiring whether their" territory was violated. It is not known what damage was inflicted or whether any planes were shot down. A communique issued by the Swiss General Staff announces that an air attack was apparently delivered on the evening of September 2-1 on the Zeppelin base at Friedrichshafen. Bomb explosions and anti-aircraft fire were heard. An unknown plane flew up the German side of the Rhine and crossed over Switzerland near Schaffhausen, encountering Swiss anti-aircraft fire. A Berlin High Command announcement flatly denied' that the Zeppelin base was raided. The Berlin wireless station DNB stated that eight French planes were shot down at Friedrichshafen, and that the raiders were routed, and that no bombs were dropped. The “Daily Telegraph” quotes a Radio Paris announcement that Swiss observers at Schaffhausen saw a large number of foreign planes, apparently bombers, flying over German territory. German machines went up to meet them near Friedrichshafen and joined them in battle, but no crashes were observed, though four explosions were heard in the vicinity of the Zeppelin hangar. . x j The Ministry of Information today announced: “Royal Air Force aircraft carried out a. successful daylight reconnaissance flight yesterday over western Germany. Last night reconnaissance flights took place over western Germany and north-west Germany, in the course of which leaflets were dropped. “All our aircraft returned safely, and no serious opposition was encountered.”

GERMAN ADMISSION Two Night Attacks Made Reports of the Allied air raid on the German Zeppelin works at Friedrichshafen are now confirmed. There were two attacks, the first at 8.15 o’clock, and the second at 11 o’clock. _ The German wireless has now officially admitted that French war planes last night bombed Friedrichshafen. The raiding planes are believed to have been French. Anti-aircraft guns around the works opened fire, and searchlights lit. up the sky for over two hours. As soon as the attack was made the Swiss frontier patrols fired rockets to warn the bombers that they were near Swiss territory. Before the raid an unidentified plane on the German side of the Rhine crossed Swiss territory and was fired on by Swiss anti-aircraft batteries. R.A.F. CASUALTIES Second List Issued The British Air Ministry has issued the second casualty list. Two officers and aircraftmen are announced as having been killed, and 21 men already reported missing are now reported “Missing, believed killed.” Five of these are officers. —By radio.