BERLIN BOMBED

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 December 1940, Page 7

BERLIN BOMBED

HEAVY DAMAGE CAUSED RAILWAY YARDS SUFFER MOST [by cable— press assn.—copyright.] LONDON, December 16. The Royal Air Force made a prolonged attack on Berlin last night. It was the first time that the British bombers had been over the German capital since a heavy raid a week or two ago.. Last night’s attack took Berlin by surprise and tens of thousands of people were caught in restaurants in the west end. When the all clear sounded buses and the underground railways were jammed. The German authorities announced that a few British aeroplanes reached Berlin, but merely dropped leaflets over the suburb. There was a brief alarm and then the all clear sounded. It was the first British air raid on Berlin for 19 days, the Germans said, and there was only light anti-aircraft firing for 10 minutes.

DAMAGE ADMISSIONS

(Recd. December 17, 9.5 a.m.) BERLIN, December 16. The News Agency states that the R.A.F. last night hit the underground railway, and also blocks of fiats, and caused a number of fires. Two people were killed and five wounded.

OTHER AREAS BOMBED.

RUGBY, December 16.

Germany’s first modest account of last night’s air raid, which declared that British aircraft reached only the suburbs of Berlin, and dropped a few leaflets, was modified by a later communique, which added that some top-storey fires were caused, and a section of the “fast metropolitan railway service was temporarily affected.”

An Air Ministry communique, dealing with this and other raids, stated: —“Last night, the R.A.F. v attacked a number of important targets in the Berlin area', including railways, factories and public utility services. Small forces bombed the inland port of Frankfurt-on-Main, and other targets near the city, the Kiel shipyards, and the port of Bremen.

In the course of other operations, bombers observed enemy merchant vessels off the coast of France, and attacked two of them, scoring direct hits on both.

“From these operations, three of our aircraft are missing.”

FACTORIES AND RAILWAYS.

RUGBY, December 16. Fuller details of the Berlin raid are given by an Air Ministry bulletin, which reveals that R.A.F. heavy bombers were engaged. Right across Germany the sky had been clear, but when within four miles of Berlin., the pilots' came into cloud, which thickened as they flew over the city. During these early raids, some of the pilots found what they were seeking at once, while others had to find their way to alternative targets. They were tantalised by the bright moon, which , seemed to be waiting to light up the ground for them, if only the clouds would part at the right moment. The bulletin proceeds: “Despite these obstacles, our pilots recognised and attacked several factories and railway targets. At one factory, immediately the bombs had dropped, there was a blue-green flare, and this was the beginning of a big fire. ‘The next series of raids began soon after three o’clock in the morning, and this attack lasted well over an hour. The weather was then much better, and though there still some clouds about, many pilots reported that the visibility was excellent. Power stations, railway junctions, and goods yards were now the chiei objectives. A stick of heavy hig - explosive bombs fell fair and square m the centre of a rail junction, and immediately started fires, which were still increasing as our aircraft left. At another junction, where some of oui heaviest bombs dropped, there were bursts all along the sidings.. Great quantities of smoke and debris could be seen flung up by the explosion of bombs. At one power-station, two large fires were started. “A smaller force of bombers attacked the west harbour at Frankfurt where there is a great collection of warehouses, factories, gram elevators, and oil plants. This, raid lasted for well over two hours. ’