NON-STOP R.A.F. ATTACKS

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 July 1941, Page 6

NON-STOP R.A.F. ATTACKS

BREMEN AGAIN BOMBED RUHR PRODUCTION HALVED LONDON, July 13. The Royal Ah’ Force again attacked north-west Germany last night, one bi -the main objectives being Bremen. An Air Ministry communique says that in an offensive operation over northern France on Saturday morninc', heavy bombers, escorted by fighters, attacked railway and canal communications near St. Omer. An afternoon offensive sweep over northern France was carried out by lighters in these operations. Six enemy lighters were destroyed and two British fighters were lost. During the day, Blenheim aircraft of the Bomber Command searched for enemy shipping off the Dutch coast and attacked a number of enemy patrol vessels. Gun emplacements on the island of Walcheren were also bombed. One British bomber-is missing. The considerable increase in the weight of bombs dropped on Germany during recent weeks gives some indication of the rapidly growing severity of the blows dealt by the Royal Air Force to the enemy. The Nazis have claimed that the weight of bombs dropped on England during April constituted a record for any month —the tonnage of bombs dropped on Germany during June exceeded that figure, and July’s weight will be greater still. The cannons with which British fighters are now armed are proving very effective, and the losses among British fighters carrying out offensive operations over the enemy’s territory are very much less than the losses of the Nazis in the Battle of Britain.

The Soviet Tass News Agency says that Germany’s Ruhr industries are reported to be working at only 40 per cent, of normal capacity as a result of Royal Air Force bombings. The Moscow radio says that industrial production in Germany has dropped 30 per cent, tnrough the same cause. The attacks by the Royal Air Force have compelled the Germans in the past four days to transfer at least five crack fighter souadrons, including the famous Richtofen Squadron, from the cast to the west, states the Stockholm correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph.” Bombers have also been brought back for retaliatory attacks on Britain. The crushing blows by tne Royal Air Force are shaking civilian morale in western Germany. STORMS HINDER PILOTS. "rugby, July 13. Thunderstorms up to 15,000 feet made navigation difficult for R.A.F. pilots raiding north Germany, last night. Thunderclouds were heavy with a chill moisture, which froze on the wings and on the airscrews, and magnetic disturbances sent the compasses askew. But, at Bremen, there were intervals of reasonable weather, and by the river and _ other landmarks the pilots found their way to the targets. Some exceptionally - heavy bombs were dropped, as well as many others of normal weight. In various parts of the industrial area, the crews could see fires which they started. There was as much opposition from the ground defences as from the weather, but reports show lhat the crews overcame everything wiiri equal persistence. A pilot reported that his aircraft had been hit in about 20 places while he was making several runs over the target, to make sure of his aim.— 8.0.W.

KING’S INTEREST

RUGBY, July 12. The King on Friday spent an hour and a-half in the operations room of a fighter group and watched the progress of the latest Royal Air Force attack. While large numbers of Spitfires and Hurricanes protecting a formation of heavy bombers roared over the Cnannel towards their target, the King followed them on a huge map in the operations room. He was told that the squadrons in the group, which had borne much of the weight of the air righting last year, had destroyed 273 enemy fighters since the middle or June. While His Majesty was in the operations room, the squadrons he had watched were destroying at least, six enemy aircraft in the air. RAIDS ON BRITAIN. LONDON, July 13. The Air Ministry states that only a small number of enemy aircraft flew over Britain during the night. Activity was mainly confined to coastal areas. Bombs were dropped at a few points in the south-west and east of England. No damage and no casualties are reported. "RUGBY, July 13. “Nothing to report,” is the official statement regarding air activity over Britain in daylight, to-day.—B.O.W. GERMAN ACE CAPTURED. -RUGBY, July 12. An Air Ministry communique states that heavy Royal Air Force bombers escorted by fighters carried out two offensive operations over northern France on Friday. In the morning they attaciced the shipyard at Letrait, on the Seine river. In the afternoon the railway yard at Hazebrouck was bombed. No British bombers were lost. British fighters destroyed 10 enemy fighters during Friday’s offensive. In addition, several German dive-bomb-ers were destroyed on the ground. Four British fighters are missing. A new type of Spitfire is now being used by British air squadrons. This is the mark V, which has a maximum speed of more than 400 miles an hour. A heavy British bomber scored a spectacular success in forcing down one of Germany’s latest high altitude fighters, a Messerschmitt 109 F, after an encounter over the Kent coast. The

fighter, which is the first of its type to fall into British hands, landed undamaged except for a bent propeller. Soldiers took prisoner the pilot, Captain Rolf Pingel, an ace member of Goering’s “yellow-nosed” squadron, who is credited with 22 aerial victories.

A sergeant pilot of the Royal Air Force who destroyed several Junkers 87’s on the ground in Friday’s raids, came down over an aerodrome on which about 20 of these aeroplanes were standing. He dived on them, firing his cannon. Some of the aeroplanes burst into flames and several others were hit. HONOURS FOR OVERSEAS. RUGBY, July 13. The Summer opened auspiciously for a number of squadrons subscribed for by British peoples in distant corners of the Empire. During recent days, 16 decorations have been awarded to pilots of squadrons which bear Empire names in commemoration of gifts towards the Empire’s war effort. Two pilots of a Gold Coast squadron nave received the D.F.C. and one of the Hyderabad units has added a D.F.C. to its honours list, which already bears 36 awards. The Jamaica squadron, which previously had collected six D.F.C.’s, one A.F.S., and four D.F.M.’s, has added two more D.F.C.’s and two D.F.M.’s to its total. MINISTERIAL ESTIMATE. OTTAWA, July 13.. Captain Harold Balfour, the British Under-Secretary of State for Air, has arrived from England. He said that Britain’s greater aerial hitting power, with Herr Hitler’s failure to .maintain schedule in the Russian campaign, had become new and decisive factors in Britain’s fav-

our. “We are going to win the war with our bomber offensive by taking the war into Germany and blasting enemy industries,” he said.