R.A.F. OVER ENEMY TERRITORY

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 52, 29 August 1940, Page 11

R.A.F. OVER ENEMY TERRITORY

Raids Continue

OIL WORKS AS MAIN

TARGETS

170 Attacks Made

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received August 29, 11.30 a.m.)

RUGBY, August 28. An Air Ministry communique states:— "Last night R.A.P. bombers attacked military objectives in Germany and Italy and enemy-occupied France. "In Germany the targets included the docks -at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven, a transformer station at Kelsterback, near Frankfurt, the Messerschmitt factory at Augsburg, oil tanks and supply depots at Mannheim, and several aerodromes. "In Italy the Fiat works at Turin and the Marelli magneto factory at Sesto San Giovanni were again attacked. "In enemy-occupied France oil tanks in the Gironde estuary, near Bordeaux, at Pavillac, near Brest, and at Cherbourg were bombed. "One" of our planes is missing." Further details of the raid by R.A.F. heavy bombers over Italy, in which the machines again made the double journey of 1600 miles across France and the Alps, show that, as on former occasions, adverse weather conditions were overcome by most of the attacking aircraft. The extremely low temperature caused ice to form on the wings of the aircraft, and one bomber became so loaded down with this extra weight that it was forced to turn for home without completing its task. Over Sesto San Giovanni cloud and ground haze added to the difficulties of the night's flight, but in spite of this the magneto factory was located and attacked. Hits with high-explosive and incendiary bombs were obtained on the works, but scudding cloud hid the full result of the attack. One pilot who was detailed to bomb the Fiat works at Turin was more fortunate, for on his arrival one minute after midnight a small fire in one of the main buildings enabled him to identify the works. Two salvos of high-explosive bombs were then dropped and were seen to strike the main works. Later over 50 incendiary bombs were scattered over the target area, and within a short space of time a large fire was observed. Half an hour later the fire was still burning fiercely and was plainly visible from a height of over 1500 feet.

The dislocation of industrial life in Germany and the damage to industrial plants and in particular to German synthetic oil works by the repeated R.A.F. attacks were commented upon today in official circles in London,.. .~. ..-,■ -.. .', Since the beginning of the war at least 170 attacks have been made by the R.A.F. against various oil targets in Germany. These attacks, it is felt, must unquestionably have further considerably increased Germany's difficulties as regards oil supplies. Already her wartime requirements of oil have j far exceeded both what she herself produced and what she was able to import from European countries. Excluding the Soviet, European oil production of all kinds amounted to 11,280,000 tons a year. But even in .peacetime Greater Germany was consuming 20,000,000 tons and her wartime requirements must have considerably raised that figure. HIGHLY VULNERABLE REFINERIES. The German synthetic oil plants are distributed between western Germany, from which comes 40 per cent, of her synthetic oil production, central Germany, which produces 50 per cent., and eastern Germany producing 10 per cent. The activity of the R.A.F. naturally has been directed so far mainly against western Germany, where not only 40 per cent, of the German synthetic oil supplies are located but also where 2,500,000 tons out of the total capacity of the German oil refineries of 3,000,000 tons are to be found. A large percentage of the German oil-storing capacity is also located at these refineries, which are highly vulnerable to air attack and which, indeed, have been repeatedly and successfully attacked. . With the coming of the longer nights, the R.A.F. raiders have been farther afield, and raids have been made against oil plants in central Germany. One of the principal oil plants in Germany, that at Leuna', in central Germany, waa the object of successful R.A.F. attacks, one of them as recently as the night of August 26. Turning to industrial targets in Germany other than oil, it is pointed out that, though the bulk of the German aircraft production is located fairly far afield, assemblage is carried on largely in western Germany, and it is believed that Germany's power to replace aircraft losses sustained in the raids over Britain has already been appreciably reduced by bombing attacks on these plants and on others engafed in the production of aircraft materials. The longer nights are enabling the R.A.F. to follow up these preliminary attacks with heavier and even more damaging raids on larger works situated farther into the interior, such as Dessau and Augsburg. The Messerschmitt factory at Augsburg was raided last night. DISRUPTION OF TRANSPORT. German transport undoubtedly has suffered severely from the R.A.F. raids. The considerable damage done to the docks at Hamburg and Bremen must seriously hamper Germany's seaborne transport. Airships now largely have to use.ports farther east, and the destruction caused at ports necessitates further recourse to the already overstrained German railways system. Still further demands have had to be made on the railways' owing to the destruction of the vitally important aqueduct, the Dortmund-Ems Canal, "which formed the chief transport link between the Rhineland and north-west and central Germany. Goods to the equivalent of 400 trainloads which used daily to cross the aqueduct in barges now have to be transported by rail, but the railway system itself has also been damaged. The great marshalling yards at Hamm have been attacked almost nightly for many weeks. In particular, the heavy industries in the Ruhr hays besn affected by the tremendous strain put on the German rail- | way system, for constant supply of I

materials is essential for their continuation.

So frequent have been the R.A.F. raids on the industries in the Ruhr that a large percentage of the inhabitants have been evacuated west into France.