BLAZING OIL PLANT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 212, 6 August 1940, Page 7

BLAZING OIL PLANT

BOMBING BY R.A.F. DAMAGE IN THE RUHR. (British Official Wireless.) Received August 6, 11.30 a.m. RUGBY, Aug. 5. An Air Ministry communique states: R.A.F. bombers last night attacked the oil plant at Sterkrade, in the Ruhr, considerable damage being done to the target, which was left in flames. An attack was also made on Ivrefeld Aerodrome (in the Rhineland), where a hangar was hit and fires were started among the aerodrome buildings. All our aircraft returned safely. The Air Ministry bulletin .contains details of the attack on the synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade. The raiders were over the works for several hours and dropped 14 tons of high-explosive bombs, as well as incendiary boinbs, which set alight to oil flaring from the shattered storage tanks. Half an hour after the first onslaught the flames had obtained such a hold on the buildings that observers couldnote the progress as the boinbs continued to fall. TliO/green-blue flashes of the explosions were mingled with the red glow of the fires which billowed clouds of smoke. Towards the end of the raid the fires were spreading rapidly. The bulletin also tells how three Blenheims patrolling the French coast yesterday, were attacked by four Messerschmitts. The British pilots dived steeply in formation until they were just above the clouds. Their gunnel’s were firing all the time, and two of the Messersch mitts broke away, one heading back for the French coast low over the sea, apnarently in flames. . The other Messerschmitts continued tho attack, but the Blenheims kept their formation intact and brought the concentrated fire of their rear guns to bear on one of the Gorman fighters. It is believed this Messerschmitt was also severely damaged. The Blenheims all landed safely,-and there were no casualties among the crews.

NAZI CAMOUFLAGE

JOURNALISTS NOT MISLED

LONDON, Aug. 5. Renewed Nazi atteippts to persuade the German people that.no damage is being caused in the R.A.F. raids over Western Germany are taken as a sure sign that the damage is more serious than they care to admit, states a London commentator. American newspaper correspondents have been conducted'on a hurried two and a-half boars’ tour of Hamburg. The fact that the correspondents saw no traces of damage did not hoodwink them, and they made it clear in their reports that they did not tour the most northern parts of the city, whore the military objectives are situ-at-ed and which have been the main R.A.F. objectives. Since May 16 there have been 54 raids on Hamburg.