RAIDS ON WIDE SCALE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 31, 6 February 1941, Page 9

RAIDS ON WIDE SCALE

R.A.F. PLANES SATISFACTORY RESULTS DUSSELDORF BOMBED FIRES SEEN TO BREAK OUT (British Official Wireless.) (Received February 6, 11.10 a.m.) RUGBY, February 5. An Air Ministry communique states that the Royal Air Force resumed its attacks on the enemy last night over a wide area and on a scale larger than for the last fortnight. Clouds prevented full observation, but the results were satisfactory. Bombers attacked Dusseldorf, where fires were seen to break out. A train in the neighbourhood was also hit and burst into flames. High-explosive bombs fell on two nearby railway junctions. Other aircraft of the same command bombed the docks at Brest, where a very large red fire and some heavy explosions occurred. Another force bombed Dunkirk, Dieppe, and Ostend, where docks were hit. Aerodromes at Vannes and at other places in occupied France, also the docks at Bordeaux, were successfully attacked. Coastal Command aircraft visited Cherbourg twice, and docks and repair yards were straddled with high-explo-sive bombs. Four of our aircraft are missing. One of the heaviest type of highexplosive bombs, together with a large number of incendiaries, was dropped when Dusseldorf was raided. This industrial town was attacked for four and a half hours. The sky was overclouded during the earlier part of the raid and some of the aircraft were forced to seek alternative targets. One (of these bombers attacked a nearby | aerodrome from about 1000 feet, drop-

i ping bombs among buildings and spraying the whole area with machine-gun fire. As the aircraft was leaving the pilot saw a military lorry approaching along a road and, swooping down to about 100 feet, the British crew attacked with their forward machine-guns. One of the most persistent of the Bomber Command raids was on the naval base at Brest, which took place between 8 and 10 o'clock. The weather over Brest was favourable, and the whole plan of the docks and outline of the jetties was clearly visible from the air. At the height of this attack fire was seen to break out on the docks, and this was vividly described by one of the many pilots who reported it. The fire appeared to be the result of burning oil. "As we were vertically over the dock," the pilot said, "there was an explosion that almost blinded jus. As first I thought a flare had gone "off inside the aircraft, and then I thought we had' been hit and that the plane, was on fire. Looking *down, we saw an area about 150 yards long on fire, with j flames shooting up to 200 feet. The fire was just beside the water's edge. We ! cruised around and watched it grow. Black smoke was pouring up and rose higher than our aircraft, to about 9000 feet." Another communique states that R.A.F. aircraft have been very active over the English Channel and northwest France today. The number of fighter patrols has been maintained, resulting in the destruction of one enemy bomber over the Channel during the morning and a second during the afternoon In the early afternoon a squadron of bombers escorted by a a considerable fighter strength carried out a sweep over northern France, during which the aerodrome at St. Omer was successfully attacked. Two enemy aircraft were shot down in combat. Five of our fighters are missing.