BOMBS ON BERLIN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 238, 5 September 1940, Page 8

BOMBS ON BERLIN

MORE HtAVY RAIDS

GERMANS’ TASTE OF WAR

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copvright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received September 5, 1.55 p.m. RUGBY, Sept.; 4. Tuesday night’s R.A.F. raid on Berlin was the fifth on the German capital in nine-days. Details became available late on. Wednesday evening of how aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked a series of military objectives both there and in other parts of Germany.

A power station situated in the Berlin suburbs was repeatedly bombed in a series of shallow dive attacks, and though low clouds prevented detailed observation of the results the flash of many bomb bursts was seen within the target area. Another power station was bombed from 7500 ft. When gasworks were struck by high-explosive bombs a large fire broke out accompanied by heavy clouds of smoke. Aircraft of a second raiding force attacked an armament factory where the explosions of their bombs were followed soon afterwards by a large flash which lit up the low-lying clouds. Sticks of bombs, wert also dropped on the main line railway on the boundary of Berlin and on lines near the capital. Wooded areas outside Berlin, including Gruemvald Forest, were attacked shortly after midnight with high-exolosive and incendiary bombs with tiro object of setting fire to an arms factory hidden beneath the trees here. Two large fires' started in a wood north of the city could still be seen by the crew of one aircraft 15 minutes after they had left for home. In Gruenwald Forest one raider’s bombs caused two bright yellow explosions 150 yards apart. It was the third time tins crew had raided Berlin. GREAT FOREST FIRES. Press Association reports state that the Air Ministry 'announced that R.A.F. bombers last night set fire to great tracts of pinewoods in NorthAVest Germany. Many bomber crews reported seeing ln.rge fires spreading through the forests to the accompaniment of vivid flashes and explosions. Many fires were started in the Black Forest and in Luneburg Heide, which is the Salisbury Plains of Germany, stretching between Hamburg and Hanover city, also the heavily wooded countryside outside Berlin. An air expert described the exploit as* a perfect mass bombing operation which may have a pronounced psychological efiect on the German people.