HEAVY DAMAGE AT KIEL

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 239, 4 July 1940, Page 9

HEAVY DAMAGE AT KIEL

Attack Lasted Nearly

An 4 Hour

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, July 2.

The attack on the Kiel naval base began a few minutes after midnight. In excellent visibility, which enabled the raiders to trace their route from the mouth of the Eider River to Kiel, the objective was easily located without the need of parachute flares. The first aircraft approached the battleship target at a considerable height and then, with its engines throttled back, glided down to launch its attack. The first bomb scored a direct hit on the floating dock about a third of the way along its length, and was quickly followed by others which burst among buildings on the quayside.

The following raiders, coming into attack in rapid succession, were met with a continuous barrage of lire from pompom batteries and heavycalibre guns. One aircraft, pressing home its attack through a screen of bursting shells, was repeatedly hit, but it reached its objective, and the pilot, dropping his bombs on the dockyard, saw a series of heavy explosiono, which were followed within a few minutes by a huge outbreak of lire which was still visible when the crew of the crippled raider were 85 miles away on the homeward journey. For nearly an hour the battleship and the dockyard were continuously attacked by successive units of the strong raiding force. Four direct hits on the Scharnhorst and on the dock were claimed by one aircraft. Another, gliding down to within 2000 feet of the dock, dropped three of its heaviest bombs, which burst in a row across the battleship on the edge of the dock. “Anti-aircraft lire came uncomfortably close,” reported the pilot of this aircraft, “but as we were not hit I made a second run in. At first I was a bit off the target, and did not drop any bombs. I could see the Scharnhorst perfectly—a grey ship in a square frame —as we came over the second time. We definitely scored hits, and were so excited that we circled round for some time before leaving.” Fires Break Out In Dock.

A few minutes later the floating dock was again hit, by a salvo of bombs, and the pilot of this aircraft, circling the target to observe the result, saw five large fires break out. The crew of closely following aircraft which claimed six hits on the deck reported that these fires so lit up the target that they could distinctly see the silver structure and gun turrets of the Scharnhorst. Other > aircraft meanwhile were attacking naval buildings and storehouses on either side of the canal. A large building to 'the north of the docks was struck and set on fire, and another big shed was so completely gutted that the steel girders of its framework were plainly visible among the mass of flames to the raiders overhead.

Large fires were also started in other parts of the dockyard, and the pilot of the last aircraft to leave Kiel described the largest of these as a solid mass of flame, which covered as much space as a big aerodrome. GERMAN REPORT Claim Of Little Damage LONDON. .July 2. The German High Command states: “During attacks by British planes on Monday against north-west Germany bombs were dropped at Kiel, where there was little damage. A few civilians wore killed. Five enemy planes were shot down, 'three of ouis are missing.’’