RAIDS PRESSED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20385, 23 October 1940, Page 7

RAIDS PRESSED

ROYAL AIR FORCE TARGETS IN GERMANY OCCUPIED TERRITORY TERRIFIC BATTERING LONG LINE OF FIRE (Eloc. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn,) (Reed. Oct. 22. 11.50 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 22. It is officially stated that although adverse weather considerably hampered operations Royal Air Force bombers attacked objectives in Germany last night. An Air Ministry communique states: “Our bombers yesterday carried out daylight attacks on the ports of Boulogne and Gravennes. At Boulogne a merchant ship was hit and damage was done to wharves and warehouses. "Other aircraft attacked an enemy convoy off the French coast. One ship was hit and disabled. “Last night the adverse weather reduced the scale of our bomber offensive. Nevertheless a heavy attack was made on the naval dockyards at Hamburg where many fires and explosions resulted. Other targets included a synthetic oil plant at Reisholz, near Dusseldorf, and the Dusseldorf goodsyards and various industrial objectives and the aerodrome at Stade. One of our aircraft is missing.” Enemy warships under construction at the Blohm and Voss yards at Hamburg were heavily attacked. Tons of high-explosive and over 1000 fire bombs were dropped on the shipyards and docks in the immediate vicinity in waves which began soon after 8 p.m. and continued for more than an hour. Conditions Difficult Heavy ground haze combined with great searchlight activity and intense anti-aircraft fire made the conditions difficult for the raiding crews, but by making individual attacks from different directions and heights they were able to evade the ground defences and press home the attacks. Many fires broke out in the shipyards and surrounding docks and in one place a chain of fires became ehgulfed in one great flaming mass. The Ruhr' had one of its earliest night raid alarms since the war began, when at 7.30 p.m. a raiding force of heavy bombers opened a lightning attack on the oil refinery at Reisholz. For 10 minutes high-explosive and incendiary bombs rained on the plant and 14 separate fires were counted in the target area. Many explosions and several big fires were started in the railway yards at Dusseldorf and Derendorf. Bombs were also dropped on the main southwest line at Dusseldorf and the aerodrome at Stade. Long after the sun had risen on Monday people on the south-east coast saw evidence of the terrific overnight battering of the German invasion ports by the Royal Air Force. An immense red glow like a prairie fire stretched for miles in a great unbroken line. Heavy explosions were heard on the French coast yesterday afternoon, indicating that the Royal Air Force had launched a daylight attack on the German gun emplacements.