RAIDS ON GERMANY

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 July 1940, Page 7

RAIDS ON GERMANY

22 ’DROMES BOMBED

GREAT DAMAGE CAUSED

SMALL BRITISH LOSSES

[BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]

RUGBY, July 15.

During two successive nights, Saturday and Sunday, 22 German aerodromes were bombed by the R.A.F. This is disclosed in to-night’s Air Ministry communique, which states: Last night, strong forces of R.A.F. bombers again attacked various objectives in Germany, including an aircraft factory at Bremen, aircraft stores at Paderborn, east of the Ruhr, and Diepholz, north-east of Osnabruck, oil refineries at Hamburg and Bremen, and goods yards at Hamm and Soest. Fires and explosions resulted, and considerable damage was done. Other forces of R.A.F. bombers attacked a number of aerodromes in Holland and north-west Germany.

Altogether, during the past two nights, 22 enemy aerodromes were bombed by the R.A.F. Aircraft of the Coastal Command, last night, attacked an oil storage depot at Ghent, and set several tanks on fire. From all these operations, two of oui' aircraft failed to return.

These operations are described in to-day’s communique of the German High Command in the following sentence: British aeroplanes during the night again released bombs aimlessly over northern and western Germany. The targets chosen by the R.A.F. for bombing, last night, were factories which build aircraft, oil refineries which supply them with fuel, and. aerodromes from which they take off to raid Britain’s towns and shipping. At Paderborn, bombs were, dropped on stores and assembly sheds, while the nearby landing ground was pocked with craters. More sheds, equipment, and dumps were set on fire at Diepholz, while at Ghent a factory was smashed. Six enemy fighters, which attempted to intercept three bombers, were quickly driven off. At Bremen, Monheim, Hamburg, Gelsenkirchen, and Ghent, oil tanks were hit, and large fires started as the fuel spread over the yards. Pilots reported terrific explosions as one oiltank after another burst, and great beacons of flame lit the countryside. The 22 aerodromes and seaplane bases attacked during the past two nights are situated over the whole of north-west Germany and Holland. Anti-aircraft batteries have been bombed, in the face of terrific fire, searchlights machine-gunned and put out of action, concrete runways hit and wrecked, hangars set on fire, and machines destroyed on the ground. The success of the attacks is contributing effectively to the reduction of the striking power of the German A.ir Force.

SWEDEN AND DENMARK

(Recd. July 16, 9 a.m.) LONDON, July 15. Gothenburg reports states that Gothenburg and Copenhagen reported having been bombed early to-day. A plane crashed near the coast. RAIDS ON ENGLAND. A FEW CASUALTIES. LONDON, July 15. An official statement reports: A few enemy aeroplanes crossed the coast during Sunday night. Bombs were dropped at isolated points in the south-qast and the south-west of England. No serious damage was done. There also were German raiders over Wales during Sunday night.

They were driven off by anti-aircraft A raider dropped several bombs, including whistling bombs, in a town in south-eastern England, this morning, killing a woman, and seriously injuring a man. A few others were, also taken to the hospital. Several people were injured in another southeastern English town. Some houses were destroyed in each case.

YESTERDAY’S RAIDS

(Recd. July 16, 10.5 a.m.) LONDON, July 15.

It is officially stated: An enemy plane dropped bombs on a south coast town, this morning. Some houses were damaged. There were a few casualties, of which three were fatal. A raider swooped on a Welsh town, and dropped four bombs. Little damage was caused, and no casualties. The machine disappeared, after a hot reception from anti-aircraft guns. GERMAN CLAIMS. (Received July 16, 10.35 a.m.) BERLIN, July 15. A communique states: Bombers attacked British convoys in the Channel, and sank three merchantmen totalling 17,000 tons. They also severely damaged a destroyer, an auxiliary cruiser, and four merchantmen. During air battles, four British and two German planes were shot down. German bombers last night attacked harbour installations, aerodromes, and armament works in the south of England, causing fires and heavy explosions, especially at Faversham. British planes dropped bombs at random in northern and western Germany, causing insignificant damage. Three British planes were shot down.

FRANCE’S WORST RAID (Recd. July 16, 11.25 a.m.) VICHY, July 15. “Le Temps” describes the German air-raid on Rennes, on June 17, as the most-severe of the war. The raiders blew up four trainloads of munitions, and explosions razed the surrounding quarter. Forty-two hundred bodies were recovered from the debris. N.Z. CASUALTIES. WELLINGTON, July 15. The following Air Force casualties were announced to-day.— _ Flight Lieutenant John David William Murray, missing, believed, killed in onerations. His mother is Mrs E. Murray, Oamaru. - Pilot Officer Sydney Charles Ladyman, who was previously reported dangerously ill from injuries received on active service, is now _ removed from the dangerously ill list. His father is Mr C. F. Ladyman, Palmerston North. Flying Officer James Henry Leslie Allen, missing after air operations. His uncle is Mr L. Holt ? of Liverpool, England.

CHRISTCHURCH, July 15. Advice that his son, Flying Officer G. W. F. Carey, D.F.C., had been killed in action was received to-day by Mr W. R. Carey, general manager of the Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company, Ltd. . Flying Officer Carey was 23 yeaio of age.