WIDESPREAD RAID

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20414, 26 November 1940, Page 8

WIDESPREAD RAID

DOCKS AND SHIPYARDS BRITISH BOMBERS DAMAGE IN GERMANY FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 1.40 a.m. RUGBY, Nov. 25. Hamburg bore the brunt of the widespread Royal Air Force attack on German docks and shipyards last night. The Blohm and Voss shipbuilding yards there, which have been so often raided in recent weeks, were once again Visited by British heavy bombers, according to the Air Ministry News Service. The first attack was made between 7 o'clock and 8 o’clock in the evening and during the hour many tons of high-explosive bombs and nearly 2000 incendiaries were dropped on the vast acreage of the most important pri-vately-owned shipyards in Germany. The reason for so many raids on this objective is that no one raid could destroy more than a part of the shipyards and it is certain that toe Germans will have been making every effort to repair the widespread damage already done. This yard has four slips 800 ft. long by 80ft. wide and eight floating docks. During recent years an enormous graving dock has been in the process of building. If the Royal Air Force had allowed it would have been ready this year. Extensive Shipyards So extensive are the yards , that the great Blohm and Voss aeroplane factories appear, when seen from the air, to be merely a small appendage. There was thick cloud over Hamburg, but despite every obstacle the British pilots were able to see their bombs exploding on the target and afterwards observed a good number of fires and explosions. The second attack was made at about 4 a.m. Though bursts were seen, on the yards, clouds prevented the final observation. Medium bombers also raided the Rhenania Cssag refineries in the Grasbrook district of Hamburg and the gasworks at Altona. Some of the pilots found so Unbroken a blanket of cloud over Hamburg that they sought alternative targets. At Hamburg, the important Nordneutsche chemical works were hit and afterwards many fires and explosions Were seen. Through a gap in the. clouds over Wilheimshiven bombs Were dropped from north to .south across the dockyard. At the Dutch poft of Den Heldcr, a large dockside warehouse was seen to collapse in the glare of exploding bombs. A small force attacked the docks at Boulogne shortly before 7 p.m. Bombs exploded on a dock near a railway bridge and also on a wet dock where a large fire was started.