DEVASTATING RAIDS

Evening Star, Issue 23745, 28 November 1940, Page 9

DEVASTATING RAIDS

LONG LIST OF R.A.F. TARGETS COLOGNE RECEIVES SPECIAL ATTENTION TREMENDOUS FIRE AT ROTTERDAM IiAVY BOMBERS ATTACK TURIN (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, November 27. (IReceived November 28, at 11 a.m.) The main strength of the British bombers’ attack last night was on armament factories and other targets in Cologne, states an Air Ministry communique, which adds that other forces of the Bomber Command attacked railways in Berlin, an arsenal in Turin, and shipping and docks wt Rotterdam, Flushing. Antwerp. Calais, and Boulogne. Aircraft of the Coastal Command attacked Lorient, oil targets in Ghent, enemy aerodromes in occupied territory, and harried shipping off the Dutch coast. From all these operations five of our planes are missing. COLOGNE. Cologne was attacked in the early evening. A second raid followed in the early hours of the morning and lasted from shortly before 5 until just before daylight. Armament works, electric power plants, goods yards, railway stations, docks, and warehouses on both sides of the Rhine were targets for our bombers. At both times the weather was good and the sky was clear. Fires were started near the Hohenzollern bridge and a number of explosions followed. Many high explosives and incendiary bombs were dropped on other targets, two bursts on the armament factories resulting in a fire still visible when the pilots were 60 miles nearer home. The extensive harbourage on both sides of the Rhine, with many acres of covered storage and well over 30 warehouses, was heavily raided. Twelve large explosions were seen in these targets, and there were two bursts in the goods yards which serve the more important of these river harbours. ROTTERDAM. At Rotterdam a chain of explosions was seen over the docks and afterwards there was a “ colossal fire,” which the pilots Judged to be a mile by a quarter of a mile in area. , TURIN, The Royal Arsenal at Turin was attacked by R.A.F. heavy bombers last night, according to the Air Ministry news servee. It was raided only four nights ago, and the second attack greatly increased the damage. Our bombers came over in quick succession. They found no cloud over the city, and were able to pick out their objectives by various landmarks. The first aircraft arrived just before 11 p.m., and dropped high explosives and incendiary bombs, which immediately started a number of fires. The pilots of the next, bombers described how they saw on arrival one of the larger factory buildings, 200yds long by 50yds wide, already well alight. Not only was it burning fiercely, but as the flames reached the explosive material there were frequent eruptions in the middle of the blaze. New fires were started, and about half an hour later, when our bombers reached the Alps, one of the observers looked back over the plain and saw Turin still disturbed by a number of explosions.

ENEMY SHIPPING ATTACKED TWO SUPPLY VESSELS HIT BY BOMBS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 27. (Received November 28, at 10.45 a.m.) A Coastal Command Hudson was rocked at 1,500 ft by heavy blasts when it bombed a 3,000 to 5,000-ton enemy supply ship off the Frisian Islands yesterday. Two hits are believed* to have been made, states the Air Ministry, and debris was seen to rise after the bomb bursts. In daylight Blenheims harried small units of merchant vessels near the enemy coastline, and through a gap in the cloud struck at a hangar and eight German aircraft on the tarmac of the aerodrome at Dunkirk. To-day another German supply ship was torpedoed near the Frisian Islands by a Coastal Command Beaufort aircraft on a roving mission. The vessel which was of 5,000 tons, listed quickly to starboard and the stern came out of the water with the screw thrashing the air. BOMBING OF REICH GERMAN BULLETIN ADMITS DAMAGE LONDON, November 27. (Received November 28, at noon.) A German communique says the Luftwaffe’s activity on the night of November 25-26 and also yesterday was restricted to reconnaissance and isolated actions owing to bad weather. The British bombed various parts of the Reich last night, damaging several buildings and killing and injuring a number of civilians.

TURIN RAID ADMITTED “TALL" CLAIM IN REPLY LONDON, November 37. (Received November 28, at noon.) An Italian communique admits the R.A.F. raid 911 Turin last night ami says bombs damaged some buildings in the centre of the city and also the suburbs, set fire to a glass factory and also did some damage to tho harbour at Tripoli. It adds that it is reliably established that six warships were hit by bombs during the attack on Alexandria on November 19.