RAIDS ON GERMAN

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 April 1941, Page 2

RAIDS ON GERMAN

POWER STATION DEVASTATED SHIPS SUNK OR DAMAGED [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]’ RUGBY, April 24. n The Air Ministry gives details or an important daylight attacks on target in , north-west Germany, and of last night’s raid on Brest and othe>. objectives. A communique says: "In daylight yesterday aircraft of the Bomber Command, attacking singly, bombed the important electric power station at Ibbenburen, near Os nabrueck, in north-west Germany. By skilful use -of cloud cover, the aircraft reached the target and scored direct hits on it from a few hundred feet. There was a violent explosion in the main building and debris was fiung high into the air.” The devastation caused by the Royal Air Force in yesterday’s daylight raid on a power station near Osnabrueck is described by the Air Ministry News Service. Good clouu cover enabled the British aircraft to penetrate so far . inside the enemy» country, and when over the powei plant they swooped down out of the cloud and dropped bombs from a low level. The first bombs hit the mam building of the plant, and fragments of masonry were blown into the air. Smoke then began to pour from the building. The wireless station at Terschelling was attacked by several other aircraft, flying low. After direct hits the station buildings were shrouded in dust and smoke. Troops ran for cover, but were machine-gun-ned from a few feet above the ground. Bombers also made a persistent search of the Dutch coast for enemy shipping. Many attacks were made, of which the full results could not be observed, but three ships are claimed as probably destroyed, and others were damaged. Two anti-aircraft ships some miles west of Borkum were attacked.-. The first was hit in a dive attack and a column of black smoke rose from the stern. The second ships was attacked with bombs and its deck was ma-chine-gunned from a height of 39 feet. While flying over this ship, one British aircraft was hit, starting a small fire which the observer put out with his hands. A close stick of bombs was dropped from the stern to bow on a supply ship of about 8000 tons steaming in convoy. After three direct hits black smoke and columns of steam were seen before the British aircraft entered a cloud. A coastal vessel of about 650 tons was also bombed with good effect. Last night a determined attack was made on the battle cruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst and the docks at Brest. Many heavy bombs were dropped by a strong force of Bomber Command aircraft, but full observation of the results was not possible. One large and several small fires, however, were seen. Aircraft of the Coastal Command also took part in this operation, besides bombing Le Havre, where they started a number of fires. None of our aircraft is missing from these night operations. Fighter aircraft this morning destroyed two enemy aircraft. The first, a bomber, was intercepted off the south-east coast and shot down into the sea. The second, a fighter, wasengaged over the Channel and shot down on the Sussex coast. KIEL AGAIN ATTACKED. RUGBY, April 25. Widespread day and night bomb - ing operations are described in an Air Ministry communique, which states that in daylight operations yesterday, off the coast of Norway, the Bomber Command set a tanker on fire, and almost certainly destroyed it. Another formation bombed a wireless station on an island near the coast, and demolished one of the buildings. Offensive patrols were carried out over northern France yesterday by our fighters. German fighters were machine-gunned on aerodromes. From these daylight operations one of our fighters is missing. Last night, Kiel and Wilhelmshaven were attacked by a strong force of the Bomber Command. At Kiel, which was the main objective, fires were again raised in shipyards and industrial areas, and a large number of high explosives added to the damage. Other attacks during the night by the Bomber and Coastal Commands were on docks and other objectives on the coasts of Norway, Holland, Belgium and France. Two of ours are missing from these night operations.

FURTHER PARTICULARS RUGBY, April 25. Last night’s R.A.F. attack on Kiel, when the weather was dark but clear, is further described by the Air Ministry News Service. The main objectives were the shipyards, especially the Germania and Deutsche Werke yards, which build submarines and surface warships. Towards the end of the attack, large fires were burning and the light enabled many crews to make out the extensive areas devastated in the earlier raids. The many high explosive bombs dropped last night burst in all parts of the target area. The usual heavy barrage by which the Germans signal the importance they attach to Kiel, met our bombers as they went in. There are reports of shells bursting near and sometimes even doing slight damage, but the British planes got through curtains of fire to drop a very substantial load of bombs. The attack on Wilhelmshaven was less heavy but proportionately as successful. In daylight attacks on an oil tanker off the coast of Norway, one engine of one of our aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and put out of action. The captain brought the aircraft safely back on the long journey on one engine without further mishap,— a remarkable feat of airmanship. The tanker vessel, at least of 1500 tons, was on fire when last seen, and volumes of black smoke were pouring from amidships. PLYMOUTH’S THIRD RAID. LONDON, April 24. It is estimated that 50 aeroplanes participated in the third successive night attack on Plymouth on Wednesday night. The damage was mostly to residential areas, but some business premises were severely damaged. More bombs were dropped than on the previous nights, though the raid was shorter. A number were killed and injured when a phurchyard shelter suffered a direct

hit. Some women and children are 1 still trapped in bombed shelters. TWO ENEMY LOSSES. LONDON, April 24. The Air Ministry stated: Two enemy bombers are now known to have been destroyed by anti-aircraft guns during Wednesday night s attacks on Plymouth. NIGHT-ATACKS FEW. LONDON, April 25. The Air Ministry states that enemy activity during the night was on a small scale. Bombs were dropped at points in south-east and north-east England, but nowhere was there much damage. Casualties were small. Night-raiders showered thousands of incendiaries over a scattered area in southern England oyer-night, also many high explosives, but there was only one major fire, which was quickly controlled. A raider was also reported over East Anglia and southwest England. DAYLIGHT ACTIVITY. RUGBY, April 25. It is officially stated; “This morning aircraft dropped bombs on a town near the south coast. A number of people were injured and some damage was done. “An enemy bomber was shot down into the sea by our fighters. There has been little other enemy air activity to-day.” ENEMY’S LOST HUNDRED. RUGBY, April 25. One hundred enemy aircraft have so far been shot down this month over Britain and around the coasts. Of these, 25 have been destroyed at night. NEW ZEALAND HOUSE. LONDON, April 24. There have been no casualties among the staffs of official New Zealand premises in London as a result of air raids. New Zealand House, which has been once evacuated because of a delayed-action bomb, lost all its windows in a later raid. The office floors were covered with shattered glass and wood splinters. The Victorian Agent-General’s office, tucked away under the shelter of substantial buildings, is the only one of all the Australian and New Zealand offices undamaged by bombs. GERMAN CRUISER HIT. N.Z. SERGEANT’S AWARD. RUGBY, April 24. The latest list of R.A.F. awards reveals that one of the German bat-tle-cruisers, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, sheltering at Brest, suffered a direct hit this month, and with an extremely Ijeavy bomb. The airman who achieved this and wins a D.F.C., is a twenty-year-old pilot, G. R. Ross, of the R.A.F.V.R., and his reargunner is a New Zealander, Sergeant K. I. Street, who gains the D.F.M. The citation says: “Ross and Street carried out an attack on Brest, descending to 1000 feet in the face of intense concentrated anti-aircraft fire and searchlights. Ross secured a direct hit on one of the ships with an extremely heavy bomb. Street coolly directed his machine-gun fire, extinguishing many searchlights, and greatly assisting Ross during a hazardous attack. Both Ross and Street, on all occasions, have displayed great keenness, courage, and determination.” Another resolute attack on the same two ships during the month gains the D.F.C. for Pilot Officer Wareing, R.A.F.V.R., who came down to 100 feet, but owing to darkness he was short of the target. He was met by a terrific anti-aircraft barrage and searchlights, but decided to make another attempt, and finally made a successful attack on the ship, dropping an extremely heavy bomb, which was seen to burst either on the ship or on the docks. IMPROVED PLANES. RUGBY, April 25. That the actual war has proved the soundness of the British air design is again being emphasised in London. For instance, whereas R.A.F. bombers have been able to fight it out successfully with enemy intercepters, German bombers proved comparatively easy victims to Hurricanes and Spitfires. The first step in Britain’s war-time air programme, aside from numerical increase was focussed on the armament. Existing bombers were given more guns. Types already projected, both bombers and fighters, had increased armament specified, and to carry the extra armament and furnish yet more speed, new and improved engines are fitted. _ Three main bombei - types with which the R.A.F. fought during the first 18 months, Hampden, Wellington, and Whitley, are thus given such increased performance and striking power as to be almost different aircraft, and behind these redesigned aircraft, are forming up fleets of newer and bigger bombers. Similarly, behind the improved Spitfires and Hurricanes, we are producing increasing numbers of new fighter types—two-motor Beaufort and Whirlwind, and single motor Tornado, which carry further the tradition of speed ■ with high hitting power. DUTCH EAST INDIES’ GIFTS. (Recd. April 26, 10 a.m.) BATAVIA, April 25. Since May last year, the people of the Netherlands East Indies have contributed sufficient funds to buy 75 Spitfires for the R.A.F., and also presented 28 bombers to the Netherlands Air Force operating in England. SCOTTISH AIRMEN. ’ RUGBY, April 25. The striking growth in the air training corps has necessitated the decentralisation of control in Scotland from London. The decision by the Air Secretary (Sir A. Sinclair) was announced at the Air Ministry Press Conference at Glasgow. The corps, within three months of launching, has formed 95 squadrons in Scotland—twenty more than “envisaged for the first year of the scheme.”