THRILLING RAID

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1940, Page 12

THRILLING RAID

BOMBS ON SCHARNHORST

OBSERVER'S DESCRIPTION

ANXIOUS RETURN FLIGHT

(British Official Wireless.) (Received July 6, 2.30 p.m.) RUGBY, July 5. A vivid broadcast describing the part, played by a British aeroplane1 in the bombing of the German battle- J ship .Scharnhorst while she was in | a-floating dock for repairs was given by an observer sergeant. : After speaking, of the journey over the sea- and picking up the target, the observer said: "Everything was very quiet. The estuary was plainly marked, and as we approached we spotted a German, balloon barrage, but still no ground defences were in action. It was not midnight. Just at that moment we saw anti-aircraft batteries firing on another of our aircraft which was making its attack. We located the position of the defences and decided how we would go on. "We were flying fairly high. When we were in position I gave the captain the word and, shutting off his engine, he dived to the attack. I directed the sights on the floating dock, which stood out sharply in the estuary. A searchlight caught as, in our^ dive, but we went under: the beam. Our machine was in an almost vertical dive as we came on the target. The Scharnhorst could not be missed, she stood out so plainly. "By this time a curtain of anti-air* craft fire was floating round us. The defences seemed to,be giving everything they had got, and I could clearly see the tracer of a pompom on the Scharnhorst's deck at work. Besides that, shore batteries and other ships in the harbour were doing their best to blow us out of the sky. We took several heavy jars from exploding shells. Part of the starboard tail of the plane was blown away, the main spar hit, and a shell made a two-foot hole through the tail of the plane, broke a rib, and narrowly missed the rudder post. We also had another hole a foot wide through the fuselage." The rear gunner said he expected that he would be launched into space at any minute because he felt sure that the turret had been shot away, but still everything held together, thanks to the splendid material and fine workmanship that went to make the aircraft. BOMBS RELEASED. "We came down very low to make sure," he said, "and when we were dead in line I released' a stick of bombs. A vast sheet of reddish yellow flame came from the deck and what seemed to be the heart of the Scharnhorst, right from the edge of the deck and across her. Flashes lit up the whole estuary. "We finished our bombing and drew off, pursued by anti-aircraft fire, and then circled for height over the quiet waters of the harbour. While we were doing this we could see fires breaking out on the dockside and our own comrades going in one after the other to do their stuff. We saw their bombs exploding dead in the target area. The fires got bigger and there were a lot of explosions that seemed to come from the middle of the fires until they merged into one vast inferno. One explosion outdid all the others, and it was probably either an ammunition dump or oil tanks. "When we began to climb we realised the damage that had been done to us, and so, on reaching height, I gave the captain the course for home. But while we were still over the estuary at only about a thousand feet German anti-aircraft guns on a ship opened fire. I turned my front gun and pumped about two hundred rounds at him and he ceased fire. "We flew on down the enemy coast. The rear gunner was chattering all the time something about fires. We did not get what h.e meant at first, but when we were over.the coast we turned the aircraft so we could look and we actually pinpointed the position from which we could see it I don't mean see the glow in the sky, but- the actual fire. "The distance was 85 miles. Then we sent a signal to the base giving our position and telling them that the aircraft was damaged so that they would know where to search for us if anything happened. That. was the last message we were able t6 send. A storm arose which earthed the aerial and the radio went up in smoke. "Damaged as we were after crossing 350 miles of sea we struck our point only three miles off bearing and came quietly home and made a smooth landing."