R.A.F. RAIDS

Grey River Argus, 30 October 1941, Page 3

R.A.F. RAIDS

In North France and channel’coasts,

LONDON, October 28. Fighters of the Royal Air Force carried out sweeps over Northern France and the Belgian coast on Monday. Enemy ships and barges were attacked as well as land taigets. Two enemy seaplanes were destroyed ,and three enemy lighters were shot down in combat. A convoy off the Dutch coast was also attacked and two enemy bombers were shot down oil the east coast. From these operations, two Blenheim bombers and nine lighters are missing. , ~ ~ British aeroplanes also raided tne German sqaplane base at Ostend on Monday. Beaufort aircraft of tne Coastal Command on patrol, bombed a German supply ship of medium size off the Norwegian coast on Sunday, night and left it burning fiercely, states the Air Ministry News Service The Beaufort attacked from mast heigh with bombs, while the rear gunner swept the vessel wit-i machine-gun fire. As the aircraft flew away, whitish smoke from the ship was just visible in the darkness. However, it began to glow, then flames burst out and were still visible 25 miles away. It is now known that three more enemy fighters—making the total six —were destroyed by R.A.F. fighters in Monday’s sweeps. An Air Ministry communique states: During patrols over the Channel and northern France on Tuesday, our fighters destroyed two enemy fighters in combat. Barges and other targets in the, Dunkirk area were attacked, and an enemy fighter was destroyed on the ground at Berck aerodrome. Coastal Command Hudsons bombed an enemy convoy off Terschelling. None of ‘ ours is missing. There is nothing to report in respect of enemy activity over Britain last night, or to-day. Beauforts of the Coastal Command flew low over the city of Nantes, in France. The town is surrounded by German troops, and there are. 50 hostages in prison there, awaiting execution. British aircraft dropped hmh explosives and incendiaries on the docks, where fires were started, and distributed thousands of leailet* to citizens. Sometimes, lights came from doors suddenly flung open. Sometimes houses were lit up as though black-out curtains had been tern aside from the windows. “At one place.” said a pilot, “we saw a V sign laid out on the ground, with oil lamps. There was one house where a door opened and someone inside flashed all the lights quickly on jand off, until we had gone over.' The Beauforts flew so low on the wav in that one pilot had to pull his aincraft up sharply to avoid the sand The “Hamburger Fremdenblatt" savs that many are injured or missing, as a result of the R.A.F. terror raid on Hamburg on October 26. Unable to find the bodies of two air-raid victims in time for the .funeral two men filled the coffins with sand, after which the funeral service was, held and the burial was performed without the relations being aware of the hoax. There was a sequel at Liverpool to-day when Michae] Daly, manager of a firm or undertakers, and John Murnaghan. formerly a clerk, mid at present *. soldier,' were bound over for two years, for causing a false entry in the burial register. The prosecutor said that deienuants made a considerable effort to find the bodies. The search continued till the funerals were overdue and the relations were waiting. There wa's no evidence that the defendants had any motive but to spare the relations pain.

FURTHER RAIDS IN FRANCE. (Rec. 11.50). RUGBY, October 2§. Fighter Command pilots in Ameri-can-built Havoc aircraft, paid visits to Gernfan-occupied aerodromes m northern France during Tuesday night One aerodrome near Abbeville was bombed three times in two hours with beth high explosive bombs and incendiaries. In tile first attack on this aerodrome., six fires were started, one burning green and very bright. In the last attack, high explosive bombs were seen to burst on the runway. The Havocs returned safely.