TWENTY-THIRD RAID

Evening Star, Issue 23717, 26 October 1940, Page 11

TWENTY-THIRD RAID

BERLIN AGAIN BOMBED THREE HOURS’ SUSTAINED ATTACK HUGE FIRE IN HEART OF CITY (British Official Wireless. 1 Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, October 25. (Received October 26, at 10.3 a.m.) Rail communication centres and other objectives in Central Berlin were again attacked last night by aircraft of the Bomber Command. The weather over the German capital was far from favourable to the raiders. Early arrivals were met by a wholly overcast sky, with the cloud extending from 12,000 ft to within 4,000 ft of the ground, and to make sure of hitting their targets the pilots launched their attacks from a considerably lower level than on most previous raids on Berlin. Later gaps in the cloud-layer made possible attack from a higher level where gunfire from the ground defences was less intense, but poor visibility over all areas hampered detailed observation of the bombing results. The first raiders to reach the city, shortly after midnight, located and attacked the Putlitz Strasse, and Lehrter railway yards, while salvoes of high explosives added to the extensive damage inflicted during previous nights’ raids. Half an hour later the same targets were bombed by a second sortie. One of the raiders was hit in several places by shrapnel while pressing home its attack from a low level. Other raiders sought out objectives in the heart of the city and a huge fire which started in the target area served as a beacon to guide following aircraft straight to their objective. The last wave of attackers came over Berlin at 1.30 a.m., and for the next 75 minutes the raiders crossed and recrossed the centre Of the city in bombing runs. Berlin’s twenty-third raid lasted dose on three hours. GERMAN VERSION. The Berlin radio stated that British planes raided the city last night, dropping explosives and incendiaries through low clouds on to residential districts, housing estates, and garden colonies. An explosive hit a crematorium. A number of fires were quickly extinguished. Several were injured. Two- planes were shot down approaching the city. A further communique says; “ Enemy raiders caused fires in the town and harbour, of Hamburg. Weak forces penetrated to the capital,, causing, fires and slight damage. Some were killed and injured in each city.” WIDESPREAD OPERATIONS. An Air Ministry communique states: Yesterday R.A.F. bombers carried out au armed reconnaisance of the French, Belgian, and Dutch coasts. The ports of Ostend and Gravelines, and a factory and goods yards near Calais and a convoy off Zeebrugge were attacked. During the night aircraft of the Bomber and Coastal Commands carried out widespread operations in Germany *nd enemy-occupied territory. Objectives in the Berlin area were bombed. Oil plants at Hamburg, Hanover, and Gelsenkirchen, docks and shipping at Hamburg, Cuxhaven, Breraerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Rotterdam, Le Havre, and Lorient, rail communications and goods yards at Emmerich, Munster, Hamm, Bottrop, and Duisherg; the power station at Hamburg, the Channel ports of Flushing, Qstend, and Dunkirk, and several enemy aerodromes were attacked by strong forces of aircraft operating throughout the hours of darkness. One aircraft has not reported to its base. TRAIL OF DEVASTATION. An Air Ministry bulletin states that at the same time as the Berlin raid was in progress other strong forces of the Bomber Command were carrying out attacks on a variety of important targets over a wide area of Germany and occupied territory. Flushing and Rotterdam were singled out for particularly heavy attacks. The Blohm and .Voss shipyards at Hamburg, which were extensively damaged in recent night raids, were again repeatedly bombed over a period of two and a-half hours. Sticks of heavy calibre bombs straddled the yards and many fires were left burning in the docks. Two of the raiding aircraft were slightly damaged by anti-aircraft fire while over this target, but no casualties were inpurred and both aircraft were able to complete their mission. The dockside oil refinery at Hamburg, with an annual output capacity of 400,000 metric tons, was attacked by a separate raiding force. Tons of heavy calibre bombs and nearly 1,000 incendiaries were rained down on the plant, scoring repeated hits on the building and starting great fires in many parts of the target area. Red and yellow flames and clouds of acrid smoke marked the site of the damaged oil refinery as the last of the attackers flew off.

l>e Gewerkschaft Deutche Erdol refinery at Hanover, which produces benzine, fuel oij, .kerosene, and high-grade lubricating oil, was attacked in the early hours of the morning, the raiders taking advantage of low-lying clouds through which to aim their bombs. The oil storage plants at Gelsenkirchen were raidedl by medium bombers, and one sortie reported an explosion of such violence that the flash lit up the sky for many miles around. The night attacks on German rail communications were widespread. The goods yards at Osnabruck, Hamm, and Haltern, near Wesel, were bombed. The rail junctions near Bremen, Munster, and Emmerick were straddled with

sticks of high explosives, and the main line tracks near Bottrop and Siedenburg were wrecked by direct bits.

Other objectives inside Germany attacked included the naval bases at Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven, the commercial docks at Duisherg, the electricity power station at Hamburg, and a group of blast furnaces at Bottrop. Bombs were also dropped on a number of aerodromes in Germany, Holland, and Belgium. At Diepholz, following a low level attack with high explosives and incendiaries, vivid blue flashes were seen, on the aerodrome, followed by a great fire, with brilliant white flames, which could be seen 50 miles away.

The docks at Rotterdam were twice attacked, and the second raid, carried out by a strong force of bombers, was still in progress after dawn. The docks and shipping at Ijmuiden, Ostenct, Dunkirk, and Flushing were attacked in a series of raids which continued until the early hours of Friday morning.