HEAVY DAYLIGHT BOMBING

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 118, 12 February 1941, Page 7

HEAVY DAYLIGHT BOMBING

Operations By R.A.F. NAZI CHANNEL PORTS POUNDED Destroyer Hit Off Norway (British Official Wireless.i RUGBY, February 10. In daylight operations yesterday by the Royal Air Force an enemy destroyer was torpedoed oil the coast of Norway and oil tanks at Flushing were bombed. Another heavy attack on the French Channel ports was carried out in daylight today. A large formation of fighters and bombers swept northern France, and targets at Boulogne. Calais and Dunkirk were attacked.

An Air Ministry communique suites that yesterday an attack was made with torpedoes on enemy destroyers off the Norwegian coast and one enemy vessel was hit amidships. Single aircraft of the Bomber Command carried out attacks on docks at Antwerp and other objectives in enemy-occupied territory.

In the early hours of this morning a force of aircraft of the same command bombed enemy buses on the coast of north-west Germany. From all these operations one of our aircraft is missing. Beaufort Limps Home. The pilot of one of the Coastal Command Beanfort bombers who saw bombs explode among ships in a German convoy which was hugging the coast of southern Norway reported that shortly afterward a Messerschmitt 110 attacked the Beaufort with both machine-guns and cannon. It was quickly driven off. but not before the Beaufort had been damaged and the wireless operator fatally wounded. For the return journey across the North Sea the rear gunner took over the radio and carried on With the signals to the base. The navigator went into the rear turret. In this cramped space, with his charts on his knees, he worked out the course and gave them to the pilot over the inter-coinmunicir-tion telephone. At the end of the flight the Beaufort made a perfect landing. Today in brilliant sunshine bombers made simultaneous attacks on Dunkirk and Boulogne, and afterward Calais was attacked. The bombers were escorted bv Hurricanes, while Spitfires carried out an offensive sweep between Dunkirk and Boulogne. Tons of bombs were dropped. and six large fires were seen raging across the harbour at Boulogne. The raid on Calais was even more successful, and bombs were showered on the docks and other targets. One pilot said he could see bursts lift shipping clear of the water. Small erait were overturned and fell back completely wrecked. Harbour buildings were hit and a direct hit was scored on a goods train. Two fighters are reported to have been destroyed.