ENEMY FRONT

Hokitika Guardian, 17 September 1940, Page 5

ENEMY FRONT

HEAVY ATTACKS R.A.F. OPERATIONS. (Per British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 15. Large forces of British bombers, as already stated in an Air Ministry communique, ranged on Saturday night over- Germany, Franco Belgium and Holland. They were systematically seeking out and breaking up the German High Command’s invasion machine. The flying was through appalling weather. Aircraft were struck by lightning. Radio aerials were burnt off in a violent electric storm, and many machines iced up. The raiders struck heavily at the invasion front line in the Channel ports of Holland, France, and Belgium, and attacked bases, railway junctions, and transport centres in Germany, whence come its reserves and supplies. / One of the night's most devastating onslaughts was made on Antwerp. Havoc, was caused in a vast network of clocks, warehouses, and petrol sheds on the banks of the River Scheldt, and shipping lying in the-, stream. Large forces of bombers dropped nearly 40 tons of high explosive bombs and over 1000 incendiary bombs in an attacklasting from 11 o’clock until 1.30 a.in. on Sunday.

Tlie port, shipping, long-range guns, anti-aircraft batteries, and searchlight concentrations at and around Calais were all bombed heavily from half past eight until nearly 11 o’clock on- Saturday night. While some of the raiders attacked the harbour and shipping concentrations inside it, others sought out big guns nearby, and started fires in these target areas. A huge fire was begun after one aircraft had attacked barges in Calais harbour, and another pilot, flying through cloud' into moonlight, clearly saw and bombed various basins. Bombs hurst on wharf buildings and barges in the Number Six dock which suffered particularly severe damage. O-nc pilot reported that some minutes after he had dropped high explosives among barges, there was u big explosion from the middle dock, and flames shot upwards. Another s/i id : “I. could actually see my bombs burst right on a concentration of barges on the oast side of Number Six Dock. Tlie last two scored a’ direct hit on a 5000-ton merchant ship at the north end of t-Ife dock, and clouds of dense smoke began to come out of her. The Number Six Dock was filled with barges. I estimate that there were about- 300 of them.” One aircraft was held in the blinding glare- of ten searchlights. It was hit in several places, and there was an intense tracer fire. All the-same the pilot made his attack, and hit the north end of the Carnot Basin.

Large numbers of barges were fo-und in Ostcnd Harbour, Belgium, whore the defences have been considerably strengthened during the past week. Many barges were in the outer harbour, the main west dock, and the basin of Number One, and these were all bombed.

SUPPLY SHIP SUNK, GREAT DAMAGE AT PORTS. ! (Received this day at 12 noon). LONDON, ■ September 17. A German supply ship of five thousand tons was sunk at anchor off Ijniuiclen last night by aircraft of the Coastal Command. Other aircraft attacked German convoys and struck heavily at shipping concertrations on the Channel coast. The first convoy was attacked off the Dutch Coast. The pilot dived to the nearest large ship and sank it with bombs, then machine-gunned an armed trawler and an E-boat. ' The second convoy was stationary off tlie Dutch coast-. A Hudson pilot dived on one of the ships and lot go three bombs. At least one struck home. The ship is believed to have sunk. Two /flaps were damaged when Blenheims attacked a convoy near Calais. Tho main attack, however was reserved for Le Havre, where shipping quays were successfully attacked.

Damaged ships, and shattered masonry of store houses resulted.

SHOT A BOMBER DOMN. (Received this day at 12 noon), RUGBY, September 10. The. s.s. “Port Auckland” which was proceeding jdown the Thames during the enemy attack on London yesterday, shot down an enemy bomber.' A shell from tile ship’s A.A. gun burst close under the German bomber which caught fire and crashed in flames on the hank of the river. One of the crew was seen to bale out.