GERMAN TARGETS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20572, 4 June 1941, Page 5

GERMAN TARGETS

KIEL CANAL AND RUHR

ATTACK ON BERLIN

(Elec. Tt4. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 9 a.m. RUGBY. June 3.

An Air Ministry communique says: “In daylight yesterday Bomber Command aircraft attacked shipping in Kiel Canal and also bombed objectives on land in Schleswig-Holstein. A vessel in the canal received a direct hit.

“Off the coast of Norway an enemy supply ship was sunk. Two of our aircraft are missing.

“Last night Bomber Command aircraft attacked Dusseldorf, the inland port of Duisborg-Ruhrort, and other objectives in the Ruhr. Many fires were started among industrial buildings. A small force of aircraft attacked targets in Berlin. Large fires were started. The docks at Oste'nd were also bombed. Four aircraft are missing.

“Coastal Command aircraft last night attacked the docks at St. Nazaire without loss. One aircraft of the Coastal Command is missing from yesterday’s operations.” Giving further details of yesterday’s Royal Air Force raids on Kiel and elsewhere, the Air Ministry news service states that aircraft of the Bomber Command covered the whole length of the Kiel Canal in the search for enemy shipping. Hits on Two Ships

A bomb aimer who was about to attack a 1200-ton vessel suddenly saw a bigger target and so released only half his load. He saw the first ship hit. The second ship was thought to be about 3500 tons. The pilot dived from 1500 ft. firing his front guns all the way down. Just before the aircraft pulled out of the dive the bombs were released and the rear gunner took up the machine-gunning. So that there should be no waste of effort, the incendiary bombs carried by this aircraft were saved for a third aiming point—an inland industrial target. Spaced along the canal, there were other ships of various tonnage from 0000 to 10,000. After each attack our aircraft were back in the cloud cover before the crews could see the delayed-action bombs explode. But beneath the clouds the was so clear that it was possible to take good aim. The crew of one aircraft were confident that they had accounted for one of the larger ships. The land targets attacked included a factory at Friedrichskoog and an industrial building south-west of Rinsburg, A Berlin news agency report says there was another air raid on Berlin last night. A number of civilians were killed and injured.