BOMBING OF TURIN

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 298, 13 September 1941, Page 10

BOMBING OF TURIN

Most Powerful Attack Yet On North Italy (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 11.

The Royal Air Force attack on northern Italy last night was t-y far the most powerful yet made. Since the last attack, on the night of Janney 12, the Bomber Command has been heavily reinforced by Flying Fortress bombers, and last night the Stirlings led the attack against the Royal Arsenal, factories aud railways <>f Turin. The Halifaxes came later, as well as two-engined bombers. It was the first time, states the Air Ministry, that our heaviest bombers made the journey of 1200 miles there aud back, with a double crossing of the Alps. Some of the crews in last night’s attack were over Berlin on Sunday night, and they described the journey to Italy as “like an airliner trip in peacetime.” Quiet as the Grave. “We went down through France,” said a Stirling pilot. “It was as quiet as the grave'. One or two searchlights poked into the clouds. We could see splashes of light on the clouds belcw us- but they were ineffective and soon gave up. . • “As we made the Alps crossing we were flying at'one time at over 20,000 feet. “As soon las we 'crossed we.lost height again and came down to Turin. Already - thfere were three ' large' blocks on fire in a row.' We wen to n and the navigator found, the railway station. We dropped.a stick of bombsacross it. I . “We went.round again, and came br.ck to drop a second stick. As we turned toward the Alps we saw the attack getting under way. There were lots of bombs being dropped.” The pilot of one Wellington bomber came down to 2000 feet to drop his bombs. The crew planted five large fires in the town, with other smaller ones round about The crew-counted 34 fires, with .(he smoke, from one fire in the centre of the -town rising nearly 7000 feet aud watched the smoke .pour up for fully half an hour. 'Bombs were.seen to burst on a large factory building, and at once huge flames sprang up and large fires developed.