INDUSTRIES BOMBED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 198, 23 July 1941, Page 7

INDUSTRIES BOMBED

TREMENDOUS SWEEP. FRANCE TO DENMARK. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 9 a.m.) RUGBY, July 22. An Air Ministry communique states that last night the R.A.F. offensive against Western Germany was centred on Frankfurt and Mannheim. Industrial targets and communications in both cities were heavily born bed. Smaller forces of aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked the docks at Cherbourg and Os tend. Aircraft oi the Fighter Command, on night offensive patrol, attacked aerodromes in Northern France.

Early this morning Coastal Command aircraft bombed it German military camp and other objectives on the western coast of Denmark.

>I From all these operations one air- , craft of tho Bomber Command is miss- * in sA fuller description of the attack on the German military camp in Den- . mark given by the Air Ministry states ’ that it was enveloped in smoke and [ flames after it was bombed before breakfast to-day. A sergeant-pilot said: “The country over which we \ were patrolling seemed perfectly inno- . cent, but in the growing light 1 saw what seemed to be the outline of q building. I went down low to investigate and discovered a skilfullyconcealed camp. “It was a peach of a target in the rays of the rising sun and 1 lot go a stick of bombs and saw them burst. Debris shot up all over the place, then flames appeared and spread until there was a large fire blazing. IVhen j we were several miles away I looked back and saw the fire still burning brightly.” An Air Ministry communique says an enemy bomber collided with an R.A.E. aircraft over the Home Counties during last night. Both aircraft were destroyed and the crews were killed. Another aircraft crashed in the city of Lincoln, the occupants and one civilian being killed. During operations over Northern France to-day nine enemy lighters were destroyed. The shipbuilding yards at Letrait were bombed. Three of our fighters are missing. DAMAGE AT NAPLES. An R.A.F. Headquarters Middle East communique says R.A.F. heavy honiliers carried out an attack on the harbour at Naples and railway sidings in the vicinity on the night of July 20-21. This was the third raid in a month and the 13th since Italy entered the war. The first bombs were dropped on the target, causing large fires; those were subsequently enlarged- bv bombs from the remaining aircraft. The fires were accompanied by explosions. The same night heavy bombers again attacked the dock installations at Benghazi (North Africa), causing fires and explosions on the mole. SINGLE-HANDED COMBAT. A sergeant-pilot who took on five Mossorschmitts single-handed and blew up two of them during Monday morning’s raid over Northern France has told his story of tho action. Britisli fighter squadrons were escorting bombers in a breakfast-time raid. The sergeant-pilot attacked two Messerschmitts, which were at once joined by three more. When one blew up and another burst into flames the remain- , der dived away and the pilot rejoined his squadron. “The force of the explosion when the first plane blew up,” lie said, “was so great that my aircraft, 150 yards away, rocked like a dinghy in a storm.” —Official Wireless. NAZI BOMB” HAVOC. ; UNIVERSITIES SUFFER. (Rec. 8.5 a.m.; LONDON, July 22. Mr M. L. Eason, Principal of the University of London, in his annual report states that damage to the University' buildings in London is severe and widespread. The University College is the great- - cst sufferer, having been repeatedly attacked. High-explosives and incendi- • arics have destroyed a large part of : the buildings, damaging beyond repair : hundreds of thousands of books. King’s College has been damaged, and the. library and hostels have l>een severely damaged. Alxnit a third of the Bedford College buildings have . been destroyed by fire. B irk beck College lias been twice damaged, losing ( the theatre, many laboratories, and equipment. \ Lesser damage lias been suffered by f King’s College, the Imperial College j of Science and Technology, Westfield ( College and the School of Oriental , Studies. j A high-explosive severely damaged ; the London School of Hygiene and ( wrecked a large portion. Almost all j the hospitals attached to the medical ( schools of the University have been severely damaged. ]