RUIN IN HAMBURG

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 306, 21 September 1943, Page 5

RUIN IN HAMBURG

Results Of Five BigAir Raids BLASTED AREAS (British Official Wireless.) RIUGIBY, September 19. Vast areas of Hamburg, the second city of the Reich, are still, SO days after the last (bombing Iby the R.A.F., deserted, gutted and blocked with debris from blasted buildings. Blackened, walls lean crazily over the streets east part of the town, where every building •was demolished or left a roofless, burnt shell. Details have now been obtained from an IR.AIF. expert by a Press correspondent of the results of the four terrible R.A.F. night raids on July 2:4, 27 and 29 and August 2, and the American day. raid of July 26. Not only has the greater part of the centre of the town been destroyed, but the devastation extends throughout the dock area and widely east and west on both sides of the Aussen-i alster. More than 717 iper cent, of the main built-up area is in absolute ruins.' Huge white patches fully 100 yards across, -and in some cases 150 yards across, where there is just nothing at all show where 40001 b. and 80601 b. blockbusters fell. In the commercial part of the city fire swept with such intensity that the whole district was gutted, and in the Baakenhafen every warehouse ‘’or a mile along one quay and every warehouse for twothirds of a mile along another quay were utterly destroyed. The railways are also affected. The marshalling yard at Rothenburgsort and the Hanover goods station suffered severely, and the main passenger station, Altona station, and five suburban stations were all damaged and the tracks disrupted at many points. In addition, eight shipbuilding works were almost entirely destroyed, three oil works were destroyed, and six non-ferrous metal works, 20 iron and steel works, 11 commercial works, eight textile works, 21 foodstuff plants, and 31 miscellaneous factories were destroyed or made almost worthless. Two submarines were very severely damaged. 17 merchant vessels and five floating docks were destroyed or sunk, and ■four slipways aud 2'5 barges and lighters were wiped out. Germany’s submarine programme suffered other severe losses.