LONGEST YET
RAID ON BERLIN R.A.F. OPERATIONS MILITARY OBJECTIVES OTHER CENTRES BOMBED FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS FIVE MACHINES MISSING (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Pross Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. noon. RUGBY, Oct. 1. An Air Ministry communique states that the Royal Air. Force visit to Berlin last night consisted of a sustained attack on objectives carried out by strong bomber forces.
Other bomber forces attacked oil refineries at Leuna and Hanover, an aircraft factory at Rotenburg, a munition factory near Magdeburg, goods yards and rail communications at Bremen, Ehrang, Osnabruck, Mannheim, and Brussels, docks at Cuxhaven and Amsterdam, the Channel ports of Ostend. Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne and Le Havre, and several enemy aerodromes.
In the course of these operations aircraft of the Bomber Command engaged and shot down an enemy aircraft into the sea.
The Coastal Command aircraft operating with the Fleet Air Arm attacked docks and petrol stores at Rotterdam and Vlaaraingen, and shipping and stores at Ostend, and set fire to an oil dump at Hamsede aerodrome. Five of our aircraft are missing. Numerous Fires Further details of the longest Royal Air Force attack on military objectives in Berlin last nighc show that the west power station, badly damaged in previous raids, was clearly identified by flares, and a few minutes after the first stick of bombs had fallen there was a large explosion and numerous fires marked the success of the attack. The Klingenberg power station also was heavily bombed. Railways were hit and a factory set alight. Heavy bombers remained over Berlin from 10.30 p.m. to past 2 o’clock this morning. Other . Royal Air Force bombers operated over widely separated targets in Germany. At the railway yards at Mannheim bomb bursts were followed a second or two later by a violent explosion, which developed into long lines of explosions so fierce and bright that our aircraft were lit up by them. The crew consider that either ammunition trains or a series of dumps had gone up. Oil refineries at Hanover and Leuna, east of Leipzig, also were left ablaze. Bluish-coloured explosions at Leuna, which was severely damaged some weeks ago, followed the dropping of many incendiary bombs. One very large fire was started in a building' in the centre of the target, and remained visible for 10 minutes to our departing aircraft, and many lesser fires and explosions were seen.
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Bibliographic details
Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20367, 2 October 1940, Page 5
Word Count
392LONGEST YET Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20367, 2 October 1940, Page 5
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