DARING BOMBING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20634, 14 August 1941, Page 5

DARING BOMBING

POWER STATIONS COLOGNE DAY RAID HEDGE-HOPPING PLANES (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 11.20 a.m. RUGBY, Aug. 13 The full story can now be told of the operation on Tuesday morning in which Blenheims of the Bomber Command, in greater numbers that have ever yet visited Germany in daylight, struck a blow at two strategic centres of German industry. Hampdens and “flying fortresses” were attacking as well, baffling the defenders by the multiplicity of assaults. German fighters, states the Air Ministry news service, were sent scurrying hither and thither between Emden and Cologne, between Gosnay in France and Dekoly in Holland, by conflicting messages from the observation posts and headquarters. Some met the bombers but more did not. “The crew of one of the “flying fortresses —and one only —saw condensation trails thousands of feet below where the enemy fighters were searching the upper air for unseen attackers. The bombers were guarded as far as the Dutch .coast by a strong formation of our fighters which were again there to meet them when they withdrew. The fighter escort went all the way with the bombers over France. Highly Vulnerable The main targets were two power stations in the open, arid country between Cologne and Aachen —the Knapsack and Quadrith power stations. They are highly vulnerable parts of the whole industrial districts which depend largely on them for power. At Antwerk, the Blenheims left their escort of Whirlwinds and flew on over the Dutch fields. Most went very low. The pilot of one Blenheim said he knew at once when he crossed from Holland to Germany. In Holland, everyone in the field or street waved and seemed to be cheering the bombers on, but in Germany some’ ran like mad and some fell on their faces in ditches. "Over Germany we flew below the level of the trees,” he said. “My observer called me up when we were seven minutes from the target and, at that time, another squadron of Blenheims crossed our paths. They were on the way to the other power station. The ah’ seemed alive with British bombers. “We were nearly there when my rear gunner cried ‘tally ho, fighter to port.’ I felt the aircraft rear twice and saw cannon shells hitting the port wing. I told my flight to take evasive action. Then the ‘flak’ became intense. I saw flashes from a gun emplacement and went straight for it. We passed about 3ft, over the gun. I saw soldiers in the trench hit by a stream of bullets. The gun ceased fire. Could Not Miss Target

“We could not miss the target. There were the 12 chimneys standing dark against the sky. There was smoke and flames coming from the plant, so we climbed to attack. The flames were 50ft. high and the smoke was too thick to let us bomb accurately from lower. I flew straight between |he chimneys. I was watching my observer’s elbow as he pulled back the release lever, and then 1 heard him call: ‘Bombs gone.’ I did a steep turn over a belt of trees and down into a sandstone quarry to get away from the ‘flak.’ We went about 30ft. below the level of the ground. As we came up, there was a great deal of crackling in the earphones, and 1 could not quite catch something my rear gunner said. I heard him repeat that it was a ‘fighter again’, and at the same moment a piece of my port wing fell away. I tried more evasive action. A bullet came in behind my head and another smached the armour plating at my back. 1 turned to the right to give the fighter a more difficult angle of fire, and this seemed to work.” A feature of the daylight offensive was the participation of twin-engined long-range Whirlwind fighters, which were believed to be operating for the first time. They are still on the secret list, but an American journal stated that the Rolls-Royce engines develop a speed of over 400 miles an hour. The armament included a power-driven turret. Other American reports suggested that the Whirlwind is superior to the latest Spitfire. It is learned in London that early on Tuesday evening, Blenheims of the Bomber Command, escorted by fighters, attacked the shipyards at Le Trait. Bombs were dropped on the target and direct hits were obtained on a ship on the slipway. One enemy fighter was destroyed by the escorting British fighters.