R.A.F. HAMMERS AWAY

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 September 1940, Page 7

R.A.F. HAMMERS AWAY

: IE HAVRE BOMBARDED ’ I ; . ' -• . ’ • 1 V , ‘ I •’ " : ■' ■ GERMAN DESTROYER HIT t [BRITISH OFFICIAL. WIRELESS.] RUGBY, September 19./ Continuing their relentless hammering of the enemy’s Channel ports, bomber squadrons of the R.A.F. last night again attacked shipping concentrations, docks, and harbour installations from Flushing in the north to Le Havre in the south-west. - Le Havre was singled out for the night’s heaviest bombardment. Attacking in relays, a strong force of heavy .bombers kept up an almostcontinuous assault upon the harbours, docks, and., shipping, for. close on five hours. ' Many tons of highexplosive bombs and great quantities of incendiary bombs were unloaded on the target, in face of fierce opposition from the ground defences. One of the earlier raiders attacked from a low level, beneath cloud. As its first stick of heavy bombs fell across the dock, there was the white flash of a terrific explosion, followed immediately by a second smaller explosion, which appeared to come either from a ship moored alongside the Basin de Maree, or from a large warehouse on the quayside. A great fire, which grew out of the second explosion, quickly spread, and could be seen, still blazing strongly, by. the bomber’s crew, when .they were 50 miles away on the return journey. When the following aircraft pressed home their attacks, sticks of highexplosive bombs were _Seen to burst along the quayside of'the Basin de Maree, across the docks at the Quai de Saigon, and to straddle the Basin Ballot, from north-east to . southwest.

A fire broke out, and spread among the shipping massed in the Maree Basin, and in the dry-dock near the Quai de Saigon. A stick of bombs dropped across the dock from such a low level that the violence of the explosion shook the crew of the attacking aircraft. By 11 p.m., fires were raging in many parts of the harbour. A large ship alongside the quay was burning strongly, and a 7000-ton ship, about a mile north of Honfleur, was seen to be ablaze, the flames lighting up a bank bf low cloud which hung over the docks and the town. Relays of aircraft continued the bombardment until the early hours of the morning. Again and again, the docks and ships alongside were straddled with sticks of high explosive bombs. Other invasion bases at Flushing, Boulogne, Ostend, Dunkirk, Calais, Antwerp, and Zeebrugge were also heavily attacked, during the night, while other sections of the R.A.F. force, concentrating on rail communication centres in Germany, bombed the goods yards at Hannheim, Krefeld, Hamm, Osnabruck, Ehrang, and Brussels.

Aircraft of the Coastal Command attacked a convoy off Borkum. A direct hit was registered on an enemy destroyer. Other Coastal Command aircraft attacked the port of Cherbourg, shipping off the Dutch coast, and the aerodrome of Deccoy. Seven R.A.F. aircraft are missing. POWER-HOUSE STRUCK RUGBY, September 19. While the main attack on Le Havre was in progress, other sections of Wednesday night’s large raiding force were ranging the French, Dutch, and Belgian coast lines, bombarding the invasion bases at Boulogne, Calais, Dieppe, Dunkirk, Zeebrugge, Ostend, Flushing, and Antwerp. At Boulogne, low cloud hampered the attackers, and several of the raiders cruised for over an hour in the vicinity of the targets, awaiting a break in the clouds and a favourable opportunity to attack. Sticks of bombs were then dropped across the dock, from the Loubet Basin ,to the tidal harbour. An electriclpower house is believed to have been struck at Dieppe, where a violent explosion and a blueishgreen flash followed the bursting of a salvo of bombs.

During the raid on Ostend, one of the attacking aircraft, flying at 1,500 feet, was turned over on its back by the blast of a great explosion which followed the bursting of a bomb. The docks at Flushing were subjected to 20 minutes’ intense bombardment. Many bursts were seen in the target area’and on the dockside buildings, and explosions broke out on the quaysides. Among several extensive fires started by the raiders was one which could be seen for a quarter of an hour after leaving the docks. Among other objectives attacked was x the big railway yard at Brussels, where fires broke out, and caused explosions which continued for 20 minutes.

Long-range gun emplacements at Cap Gris Nez were again bombed, and, after a low-level attack by one bomber, the crew observed quantities of material flung into the air. A few’’ minutes later, when several miles out, the same crew saw the flash of a great explosion. GERMAN VERSION. (Recd. Sept. 20, 11.55 p.m.). i BERLIN, September 19. A communique states: The enemy bombed Belgium and northern France, doing no damage. A number of civilians were killed. The enemy on the night of September 18 hit three hospitals marked with the Red Cross. Nine children were killed and 12 injured. The enemy losses were 38 planes. Thirteen of ours are missing. ■‘The German News Agency stated: The R.A.F. severely damaged districts in Hamburg.