R.A.F. ATTACKS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1940, Page 4

R.A.F. ATTACKS

ON ENEMY COUNTRY.

(Per British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, Dec. 1 Aerodromes in France and the Low Countries, which are among ..the enemy’s bases for their night raids on the British Isles, were successfully attacked by a strong force of Royal Air Force bombers from nightfall till several, hours after midnight on Friday. The official communique adds: ‘the Channel ports of Dunkirk Boulogne and Calais were also attacked. Two of our aircraft are missing. Behind tile announcement of iast night’s R.A.F. iaids on aerodromes m a ranee and the Low Countries lies a story of a whole night of successful seeking out and attacking of s nests from which the enemy is sending raiders to attack Britain. For the purpose a powerful force of bombers were diverted from the more usual tasks of . raiding Germany’s kvital centres.

Some aerodromes, 1 ' states the Air Ministry’s' News Service, “have been attacked bkny in sharp, sudden raids. At Chateau d’Un in the Plain of Orleans, aq aerodrome was raided several times with marked sueeesss. Bombs were seen to burst across the hangars . and. runways. There were many explosions, and a number of fires. At Alelun, many hres sprang , up, and when heavy bombs exploded a j.mass of debris was thrown high in the air and the pilot could clearly see fragments of buildings flying in every direction. Villacoublay was twice succosssfuily attacked At, Chartres there were direct hits on hangars. in the south-west corner of the aerodrome. A spectacular explosion followed and equally impressive fire. At Vendeville ' aerodrome, near Lille, a burst of flames followed an explosion of heavy bombs, showing a store of petrol was hit. Many other aerodromes in occupied France were attacked. At Le Toque, a. pilot came down to 500 feet so that his maehtnoguliners could spray ini aerodrome with accurate fire, /

In the Low Countries, a number of aerodromes were hit. At Le Culot and Brussels, bombs straddled a flaro path, and at Harsßamp ' bombsfell on the hangar and caused explosions and fire. Aerodromes in Ypenburg, Rotterdam, Trond and Eindhoven were also successfully raided.

The Royal Air Force raids over the enemy and the. occupied terri-“ tories during : the week ended atdawn on Saturday, had been restricted by the weather. Indeed on two nights all operations had-to he can- ; celled. AVidespread daylight - raids were made during the week and in all, twenty attacks were carried out against ports and shipping, five against goods yards, etc., ten against 1 ' factories and power stations, ;etc., and a large number of aerodromes were also attacked.

Only twm aircraft were lost in these operations. One. of these was > in a raid over Italy. The operations - included a persistent, attack on the: submarine base at 1’ Orient; which: was • bombed ,on four days; Outstanding among the week’s . raids were the great-length bombing of. the Royal Arsenal in Turin, and the heavy attacks on Cologne and Dusseldorf and naval shipbuilding yards at Bremen. The attack on Dusseldorf lasted twelve hours. GERMAN CLAIM. "LONDON, Dec. 7. The Bierlin wireless state: Enemy torpedo-carrying planes flew' over 'he Reich; two of which we shot down.