TRAIL OF HAVOC

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 123, 23 April 1940, Page 7

TRAIL OF HAVOC

BRITISH AIR BOMBING. ON NAZI AERODROMES. LONDON, April 22. The Ministry reports : “The Royal Air Force again bombed and machinegunned the aerodrome at . Stavanger last night, and, despite intense antiaircraft fire, hits by incendiary and high explosive bombs were observed. A number of enemy machines are known to hav" been destroyed. All our aeroplanes returned safely.” Details of the British raids on the previous day are now available, states the British Official Wireless. The attack on Aalborg appeared to take the enemy completely by surprise. The British aircraft appeared singly, and the first to reach the target found the aerodrome plainly marked with full night-flying illuminations. There was no time for the ground batteries to go into action, and the only opposition at first came from one searchlight, which was quickly put out when the aircraft’s rear gunner sent a burst of fire down the beam. TRANSPORT SURPRISED. A large German troop air-transport coming in to land , with its navigation lights or found itself suddenly assailed by machine-gun fire from the British bomber and, opening up its engines, it escaped into the clouds to avoid being shot down. Flying at a low altitude above the aerodrome, the British bomber then released a salvo of high-explosive bombs,, which damaged the mail, hangar. The following aircraft hampered the ground defences. They were met, however, by heavy anti-aircraft and machine-gun fire. Successive attacks were made on the aerodrome at varying heights, and after attacks on the target from a low level three fires were seen to break out. A number of blue and yellow searchlights were seen over the aerodrome during the latter stages of the raid. The pilot of one aircraft in this raid said : “My aircraft was the first of the formations to reach the aerodrome, the navigation lights of which were on. There was also a- flare path out. While looking for a suitable target wo-flew practically alongside a German transport . aircraft. It was signalling, presumably asking for permission to land. My rear gunner immediately gave him something else to think about, and we managed to get in a good burst of fire before the German disappeared into the clouds. Wo were flying right at the bare of the clouds at tills time, so the pilot of the transport ’plane only had to pull his stick back, and up he went into the clouds. “That little jaunt over, we decided to go in and bomb. We could see three hangars in a half-moon shape. We made our run over some billets and a wireless mast, and the rear and front gunners were both strafing tho aerodrome'as we flew over and dropped our bombs. It must have been a shock for them. They were obviously not expecting us, and we met no opposition of any kind. Most of the ground lights went out after the first explosion, and a solitary searchlight came into action.” BASES IN NORWAY. While the raid on Aalborg was in progress other aircraft of the Bomber Command were carrying out successful attacks on two German-occupied air bases in Norway. The aerodrome and seaplane base at Stavanger and tho aerodrome at Christiansand were heavily attacked with liigh-explosive and incendiary bombs, and considerable damage was done to the bases and to aircraft on the ground. The raid on Stavanger began shortly before midnight and, as on the previous occasions, was carried out by a number of aircraft which attacked singly and in quick succession. Numerous direct hits were scored, and bombs were seen to burst on the point of the intersection of two runways and elsewhere on the aerodrome. The fall of one heavy bomb was followed within a few seconds by an explosion on the aerodrome. Bombs were also dropped on three enemy seaplanes which, by the light of the moon, were seen moored in a cove off the Stavanger seaplane base. Despite anti-aircraft fire, which one pilot described as of moderate intensity, all the aircraft engaged in the raid returned safely to their bases. ’PLANES PEPPERED. At Christiansaiul in tho much-used enemy air base on the southern tip of Norway some -10 to 50 aircraft were drawn up on two sides of the aerodrome, and one enemy machine was seen taking off along the runway as our aircraft approached. Large numbers of high-explosive bombs were dropped, principally along the line of the runway. A strong fire was started- by incendiary bombs on the south side of the aerodrome close, to where a number of aircraft were standing, and the raid was successfully rounded off by two of our aircraft, which carried out a low machine-gun attack on tho aerodrome hangars and buildings. Anti-aircraft fire was encountered from light-gun batteries round the aerodrome, and guns mounted on the hills surrounding the aerodrome also opened fire as our aircraft, came in to deliver their attacks. Evasive action was successfully taken by our pilots, and the only damage suffered by our aircraft was the loss of one trailing aerial.