SWIFT RETALIATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 97, 23 March 1940, Page 6

SWIFT RETALIATION

At the very moment when the House of Lords was hearing a declaration that the British public expected reprisals against the Nazis for the raid on Sea pa Flow, and Lord Halifax had replied that the Royal Air Force might take action at an appropriate time, relays of British aeroplanes were pressing home a brilliant attack against bases on the island of Sylt. It ranks as the greatest air attach yet made in the war, and both in conception and execution was a splendid success. For seven hours wave after wave of British aeroplanes bombed the Ilornum base, while attacks were also made on the seaplane harbour of lust and the Hindenburg Dam which connects the island with the mainland. It is not the British custom to claim successes without justification, and even then reports are guarded, but the communiques, taken in conjunction with the Danish reports, indicate that terriffic damage must have been done to Nazi bases, hangars, aeroplanes, ammunition and material, as well as to the dam itself. The weather was very bad and there seems no doubt the Germans were taken by surprise, but their defences when brought into action did little harm to the attackers who escaped with the surprising loss of' only one machine and possibly its personnel. In contrast with this operation the raid on Scapa Flow was quite insignificant. Then the Germans, harassed by British gunfire and attacking craft, were scattered from their objectives and dropped many bombs on land with casualties to civilians, not one capital ship being harmed in any way. At Sylt not one German fighting aeroplane appeared to take the air against the British bombers. When the full results of this raid are known, and graduallv the story is taking shape, it will be found that this heavily fortified base, from whence German machines have sallied forth to attack shipping and unnrotected fishing boats and lightships, and submarines have sailed to sink at sight, has been damaged so severe!v that its use must be considerably restricted. Hitler lias been taught that when Britain acts no half measures are taken.