BRITISH RAIDERS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20452, 13 January 1941, Page 5

BRITISH RAIDERS

BERLIN ADMISSION INDUSTRIAL CENTRES NOW IN FRONT LINE ALMOST DAILY ATTACKS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Jan. 13, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 11. The power of the Royal Air Force is admitted by the Berlin paper, Der Reich.

Representing the Royal Air Force action as having become more aggressive, the paper says: “German industrial centres and cities have now become the front line, especially the Ruhr districts, and Bremen, Hamburg and Berlin. These districts report that almost daily they have to endure sorrows and heavy attacks and it must be acknowledged that conditions there are anything but comfortable although every endeavour is made to lighten the burden.

“.Other Germans must remember that the people of these districts have to live in air-raid shelters - and that lose their homes and property. Many districts of Germany which last year were far away from the scene of war have now to bear as much fighting as the troops.” It is explained in London that during the week ended at dawn on Friday, Royal Air Force raids over Germany and German-occupied territory were restricted on some days owing to very bad weather conditions, but some heavy attacks were carried out, especially on enemy docks and shipping. In all nine attacks were made against the latter type of objectives, as well as two against oil .targets, three against railways and a number against industrial targets and aerodromes. Toll Among Planes In all of these operations four British aircraft were lost. Three German aircraft were destroyed in the course of the raids. The Brest naval base was the subject of day and night attacks in which many Ihigh-explosive bombs were dropped. Bremen, which suffered severely in the previous week, had another very heavy raid at the beginning of this week. The naval base, shipbuilding yards, factories, railways and goodsyards were all the subject of bombing and a great number of fires were started. The naval docks and harbours of Wilhelmshaven and Emden were also attacked for many hours in good visibility.

An Air Ministry communique states that bright moonlight last night, the Royal Air Force attacked dockyards at Brest. Two direct hits were caused on the bows of a large vessel and widespread fires resulted in the dock area. Shipping in the harbour of Le Havre was also attacked. No British planes are missing. Gunfire Eluded The Air Ministry news service describing the raid on Brest, says that when aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked they found light and heavy anti-aircraft shells bursting in a continuous ring round the docks, but the Royal Air Force penetrated this barrage and though some .remained a long time over the objective, not one was hit. The weather was bad at the beginning of the journey, but the skv cleared over the Channel and Brest'itself was lit by the moon. Many sticks of high-explosive bombs were dropped across the docks and one pilot saw a very large fire when he arrived. The fire was still burning fiercely when he left Brest an hour later. Though there were no clouds ground haze prevented some of the pilots from getting a complete picture of the results of the bombing. Press comment on the daylight sweep over the Pas de Calais by a strong combined force of fighters and bombers emphasises the significance of the attack as evidence of the growing strength of the Royal Air Force and says there is an expectation that it will prove to be only the first of this kind of operation against the enemy.