FURIOUS ATTACK

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 139, 14 May 1941, Page 7

FURIOUS ATTACK

ON RHINELAND TOWNS. MANNHEIM STRAFED. LONDON, May 13. After bombing- Hamburg and Bremen for three nights in succession, the Royal Air Force .last night switched its attention hack to Mannheim, the great inland port on ihe Rhine, where a furious attack was made. The second largest inland docks in Europe arc situated at Mannheim. Rust- night a number of fires were started in the main dock areas.

BLOW AT RAILWAYS, j (British Official Wireless.) j RUGBY. Alay 12. i The importance of British air atI tacks on the great German railway yards is stressed in the Swedish newspaper Handelstidning, which, analysing the vulnerability of German land eommunicatiosn. says: “So much is said about sinkings and the stoppage of England’s imports that one forgets that in Germany’s occupied territories communications are not working smoothly either. They are at least equally considerable and vulnerable as traffic over the oceans.” Air Wendell Willkic recently said that just those communications were Germany’s vulnerable point, and a picture in the Voelkischer Beobaehter gives an astonishing revelation as to how vulnerable they are. Ft shows that a 5000-ton ship’s cargo capacity equals about 600 railway wagons. The picture aims at showing the damage one torpedo can cause to England, but it also shows what a great, delicate and difficult affair German transportation over wide areas is. That transportation cannot avoid railways and tlie British fliers know it and c-an quite easily hit station yards. Germany can, of course, smash England’s railways and factories, but she cannot reach American factories and railways. The British know that they arc in personal danger and work and suffer but shield themselves against it. The Germans are commanded to suffer and work against the promise of coming well-being which is rather uneer-' tain.

BIG FIRES REPORTED. (British Official Wireless.) (Roc. 10.55 a.m.) RUGBY. Alay 13. No British aircraft were lost from the attack last night on the Rhineland, when Mannheim was the main objective. An Air Ministry communique announces: Aircraft of ‘ the Bomber Command resumed their attack on objectives in the Rhineland. At Mannheim large .fires were, started and Coblenz was also bombed. Other aircraft attacked the docks at Ostend and Dunkirk.

Coastal Command aircraft attacked the docks at St. Nazal re. One of these aircraft is missing. , The success of last night's Royal Air Force raids on Rhine industries is shown in further details given bv the Air Ministry News Service. The weather over Mannheim was variable, but often clear enough to allow of accurate bombing and good observation of tlie results. A heavy load of inc-cndiaries and high explosives was dropped on, Mannheim and the industrial suburbs of Ludwigsliavcii on the opposite bank of the Rhine.