HAVOC IN GERMANY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 234, 31 August 1940, Page 7

HAVOC IN GERMANY

UNREMITTING RAIDS. R.A.F.’S SUCCESS. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph —Copyright. i (Britisli Official Wireless.) Received August 31, 11.10 a.m. RUGBY, Aug-. 30._ The pilot of the leading aircraft which attacked Krupps’ works at Essen, last night, said that after dropping his bombs “there came four large explosions, followed by two smaller ones. A large red fire started immediately, and two violent explosions followed.”^ Other sections of the raiding force continued the' unremitting attack which the R.A.F. have launched on Germany’s vital oil supplies. The extensive oil tanks near St. Nazaire, of which the enemy has been availing herself since the occupation of the French coast, were heavily bombed and repeatedly hit, and many big explosions resulted. One of the pilots counted fifteen separate fires. The raiders made a series of attacks on Bottrop, which began soon after 11 o’clock and continued until 1.30 this morning! After the explosion of the bombs themselves had ended many other explosions began, and continued for some time. Fires described by the pilots as small, but persistent, broke out, and were still burning when other raiders arrived an hour and a half later. A pilot who bombed tho Cologne oil works at 1.38 this morning plainly saw a fire after his attack. Another force bombed the Duisberg electric power station, which was set on fire, the flames shining through the darkness in spite of clouds for 25 miles. Heavy bombs fell in a stick .across the works. Last night’s attack on the Hamm goods yards was successful. One pilot saw the tangled wreckage of railway trucks and metals from the siding hurled into the air after a salvo of heavy bombs had fallen. FILES ADMITTED. A Berlin communique states: “British planes last night again bombed Western Germany, concentrating on non-military objectives. Residential districts were hit in a number of localities in the Ruhr. The air raids precautions services quickly extinguished the fires. The other material damage was insignificant. The enemy lost two planes during night flights over the Ruhr and 19 during the air battles, also six barrage balloons. Seven of our planes have not returned. A U-boat sank three enemy merchantmen totalling 21,000 tons out of a strongly guarded convoy.”