BEACON FOB PILOTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 14, 17 January 1941, Page 7

BEACON FOB PILOTS

BLAZING TARGET

IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE

GREAT EXPLOSIONS

RAIDING CONDITIONS GOOD

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received January 17, 11.30 a.m.)

RUGBY, January 16.

After the first wave of aircraft arrived at Wilhelmshaven last night, states the Air Ministry* News Service, it was only necessary for the strong force which followed to find the Dutch coast. From there onwards they were led by the -glare in the sky, right over Holland and across some 50 miles of Germany, to the vast flames, which were all many pilots could see when they reached the main base of the German North Sea fleet. x The chief focus of attack was the Bauhafen, the great square harbour which is joined by the Hafen \Canal to the outer harbours and the sea. In the restricted area round this harbour are crowded slipways, docks, engineering works of all kinds, storehouses, assembling sheds, armour-plate shops, foundries, ironworks, and gun stores. In the dry dock at Marinewerfte 24 submarines can be built at the same time, and the harbour itself, with its great floating cranes, was designed to take the largest warships. The main railway station at Wilhelmshaven lies a few hundred yards to the southwest, but there are power-stations closer still, both to the north and south of the harbour. To 'the east there are many naval barracks. When the pilots returned there was no need to ask them which of this huge collection of objectives had been hit or set ablaze. The areas of raging fires which they reported covered thousands of square yards on each sideof the harbour, and a large proportion of the military objectives in Wilhelmshaven lay within this area. At times flames and black smoke above them obscured all detail, but at intervals some signal instance of disaster was provided above the general conflagration. TERRIFIC EXPLOSIONS. A minute after one pilot had seen his high explosives burst there was an astonishing disturbance among the flames, and debris was thrown by the explosion 1000 feet into the air. Three minutes later the same thing happened again. The skeleton of a burnt-out building made a- black silhouette in the midst of half a square mile of fire west of Bauhafen. By the powerstation to the north of the harbour the flames burnt even more fiercely than elsewhere. j As the raiders left all such detail was swiftly lost to sight, but the blaze remained to light the sky behind them for 130 miles on the homeward journey. ' ENCIRCLED Rl FIRE., The first attack jasteci from 8 p.m. until soon after midnight. The second attack was made between 5 a.m. and j 6 a.m.. and pilots over then- target* at j this hour saw the Bauhafen still en-1 circled by wide ramparts of fire. Though the moon was still, shining brightly the smoke from these fires hid part of the town, but the- pilots had no reaj. difficulty in finding their \vay to the naval dockyards. Their attack was as successful within its limits as the previous largescale raid. They started many newfires, and also encouraged the flames they had found burning when they arrived. The weather favoured both attacks, and throughout the night visibility was excellent. Few—targets in Germany are as well defended as this naval base, and the bombers had to pass through a prodigious anti-aircraft barrage. Widespread R.A.F. raids were made over. Germany and occupied territory last night in addition to highly-success-ful attacks on Wilhelmshaven. Docks at Emden, Bremerhaven, Rotttrdam, and Flushing were also bombed, as well as aerodromes and other targets in north-west Germany and Holland. The harbour at Brest was again at[tacked by Coastal Command aircraft. On all these operations only one of our aeroplanes is missing.