MILITARY OBJECTIVES

Evening Star, Issue 23665, 27 August 1940, Page 7

MILITARY OBJECTIVES

OUTSKIRTS OF GERMAN CAPITAL WEATHER HAMPERS OPERATIOHS BRITISH PILOT'S NARRATIVE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 26. (Received August 27, at 11 a.m.) “ Operations in the Berlin area last night were hampered by poor weather conditions,” states an Air Ministry communique, which continues: " Selected military objectives were attacked, as well as'Antiaircraft batteries and searchlight concentrations on the outskirts of the German capital.” The communique continues; —“ Although last night was the first occasion since the outbreak of the war that the R.A.F. has made bombing attacks on military objectives in Berlin, many of our bomber pilots are now familiar with this journey, having mado it in every kind of weather since last autumn. In March. Berlin was visited five times in six nights.” A British pilot, describing the raid on Berlin, which was his twenty-fifth raid of the war, said; “ For at least two-thirds of the way there was very heavy anti-aircraft fire, much more than usual. One might almost have thought the Germans were expecting us. Twice I had to take violent evasive action to escape shells. When we arrived over Berlin there was a formidable concentration of guns and searchlights. We cruised around for half an hour before we located the target, and all the time the guns were popping off at us quite accurately.” The pilot added that through a hole in a cloud he saw the moon reflected on a lake, which gave him his position. Finding it difficult to bomb the first time, owing to antiaircraft opposition, the British aeroplanes went away just far enough to shake off the guns and searchlights. Then they came back right over the target, by which time the friendly gap had opened wider and the machines were able to drop their bombs. Large fires were seen burning before the clouds finally closed over the scene. % The German High Command admits a R.A.F. raid on Berlin. It says it is the first since the outbreak of war. It adds that the raiders dropped incendiary bombs on the outskirts of Berlin, but no damage resulted.

FORCED DOWN AT SEA GERMANS RESCUE BRITISH AIRMEN BERLIN, August 26. (Received August 27, at 1 p.m.) Informed circles declare that German rescue planes saved the crews of two British bombers off the Dutch coast last night. The rescued men said they were forced down by lack of fuel while returning from Stettin. FRENCH PORTS ATTACKED HEAVY DAMAGE INFLICTED (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 26. (Received August 27, at 1 p.m.) Further details are given in an Air Ministry bulletin of the bombing of docks, buildings, and quays in the enemy-occupied Channel ports of Cherbourg and Boulogne, Tbe Cherbourg waterfront was lit by the glare of fires started among the warehouses. The docks at Boulogne were also heavily attacked by aircraft of the Fleet Air Ann, operating with the Coastal Command. The weather was clear, and th pilots obtained good views of their targets. Many heavy and incendiary bombs burst on the docks and buildings round the basin. GERMAN CENTRES RAIDED, An Air Ministry communique states: British aircraft attacked supply depots at Cologne, Hamm, and Schwerte. The docks at Bremen were also bombed. Coastal Command aircraft attacked the oil tanks at Cherbourg, seaplanes and E-boats in Boulogne Harbour, and the docks at Flushing. Yesterday R.A.F. bombers attacked a number of aerodromes in enemy-occu-pied territory in Holland and Belgium. These attacks were continued after nightfall on aerodromes in northern France. From all these bombing operations five of our aircraft have not returned. A Sunderland flying boat on patrol in the Tromso area last night attacked a number of enemy flying boats at anchor, sinking two, setting fire to a third, and damaging others.