MASSIVE ATTACKS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 138, 13 May 1941, Page 5

MASSIVE ATTACKS

HAMBURG AND BREMEN. CONTINUED DEVASTATION. (United Press Association —Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 10 a.m.) RUGBY, May 12. Further massive attacks on Hamburg and Bremen are described in an Air Ministry communique, which states that last night, in very good weather, the Bomber Command again attacked objectives at these ports with heavyweight high explosives and incendiaries.

The bombs were dropped on shipbuilding yards and industrial areas in both cities. Many fires were started and left burning. Small attacks were made on other targets, including Emden and the docks at Rotterdam. Four aii-craft of the Bomber Command are missing. The Coastal Command last night attacked the docks at Ijmuidcn (Holland) and the seaplane base on the island of Texel. No aircraft are missing from these operations. This was the fifth raid oil Hamburg and the fourth on Bremen since the beginning of May. Destruction caused in the previous night’s raid was added to and many new flics were started. The German news agency admits that several waves of British bombers attacked coastal cities in northern Germany on Sunday niglii. Warnings to German people to shelter immediately alarms are sounded are being repeated. A Berlin message says: The High Command admitted that stronger R.A.F. formations were back over Germany, heavily bombing Hamburg, Bremen and elsewhere. They left “some damage.” as well as dead and wounded.

NO TIME TO ' RECOVER

HAVOC AT SEAPORTS. (British Official Wireless.)

(Rec. 11.20 a.m.) ItUGID , May 12. The vast expanse of the docks at Hamburg was the particular focus of the attack on Sunday night b.y a strong formation of R.A.F. bombers, which continued the destruction and disorganisation of vital parts of this great seaport beiore it had time to recover from the heavy attacks of Saturday night. The shipbuilding yards nine miles in length which line the banks of the Elbe were threatened and crossed with, fire. In the Blolnn and Voss yards, where the Goebe.n and other German capital ships in the last war were built. High explosives and incendiaries increased the damage already done. Opposite these yards, on the other side of the river, the flames leapt high, and away from the docks the industrial quarters of the town were vigorously assailed. There was fine weather at Hamburg. The attacks were extended to Bremen, the other main objective of the night, and one of the pilots said: “It, was the kind of night when only the bomb-aimer eoukl be blamed if we missed the target, and there was nothing wrong with our bomb-aimer.”

ATTACK ON ENEMY SHIP. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 11. A moonlight patrol on Saturday night in search of enemy shipping in the North Sea is graphically described by an R.A.F. pilot. Off the Frisian Island oi Texel lie sighted two German naval vessels.

“The night was absolutely perfect,” lie said. “We had been flying toward the moon and the sea was shimmering ahead with gold and silver reflectionsWc turned north and noticed a wash on the water below which scented to go on for so long that I thought it must bo something to do with the tide. But my rear gunner called out that the wash was coming from two ships which lie could see to starboard. “I circled round, weighing them up. and suddenly spotted their gluts and recognised them as naval ships. I manoeuvred to attack and flew over the larger of the two vessels almost at deck level. As the observer called out that tile bombs were gone, I saw wc were just about to hit the stern wireless mast and I hauled back the control column. I just cleared the mast, but got no thanks from the rear gunner, who was squashed flat in his turret by our vertical climb. “Roth ships opened up, trying to scissor us between streams of light tracer. There were also while flashes of heavy anti-aircraft fire, but we getaway and then ventured back to take otic' more look. The ship we had bombed bad turned her nose to tboi coast and was listing, and we could see that she was lower in the water.”