OVER GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 128, 24 February 1941, Page 7

OVER GERMANY

Wilhelmshaven Raided By R.A.F. FIRES STARTED

Emden And Brest Also Attacked

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received February 23, 7 p.m.) RUGBY. February 22.

Last night the Aircraft Bouibei Command overcame bad weather and the formidable defences of Wilhelmshaven to attack the dockyards and shipbuilding works, states the Air Ministry news service. It was a night of intense darkness and persistent cloud, and to make matters worse a thick haze covered the ground at Wilhelmshaven itself. Though most of our pilots found their objectives and dropped then high explosives and incendiaries at moments when the low clouds pm ted, it was difficult to observe the full results of the bombing. Near Bauhafen a large fire was observed by several pilots, and soon afterward a succession of explosions. Later, aircraft directed their bombs toward fires started in the early part of the raid. Several fires were seen rapidly spreading as our aircraft left. The raid lasted an hour and a half, beginning at 9 p.m. An official account of yesterdays day and night R.A.F. operations is given in an Air Ministry communique, which states: “During daylight yesterday our fighter patrols were continued over the French coast. None of our planes are missing. “Last night a number of operations were successfully carried out in spite of ba'd weather. Attacks were made at several points on the coast of enemy territory. A large fire was observed at Wilhelmshaven. Emden and. Brest were also attacked. Other aircraft bombed objectives in the industrial area in the Western Ruhr, but bad visibility made it impossible to observe details of the results. A number of aerodromes in Holland and France were also attacked. From all these activities, two of our aircraft are missing.”

In daylight on Thursday single aircraft of the Bomber Command dropped bombs on docks at Tjnniiden, in occupied Holland. A large tire broke out on the quayside. The night activities of the R.A.F. were confined to an offensive patrol over certain aerodromes in northern France. None of the aircraft is missing. British fighters carried out offensive patrols over the French coast, and two of them are missing.

During the week ending at dawn on February 2.1, R.A.F. activity over Ger-man-occupied territory was restricted by bad weather. Places attacked include the Gelsenkirchen oil plants, where a number of fires and nine explosions of great force were reported; Duisberg and Ruhrort docks, industrial objectives, where 17 fires were counted; Calais docks, in three raids; Den Holder docks and lockgates, attacked in two raids, a direct hit being registered on a supply ship; a 1500-ton enemy oil tanker, bombed off Bergen; the Boulogne docks, the Brest naval base, the Ostend docks, and the Ijmuiden docks. A leaflet raid was carried out over Katowice and Krakow. During the week’s operations, including many offensive patrols, nine of our aircraft were lost.