BERLIN BLASTED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 208, 4 August 1941, Page 5

BERLIN BLASTED

BIG FIRES STARTED. OTHER CENTRES BOMBED. (United Press Association —Copyright) (Rcc. 10 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 3 Berlin had one of its biggest, raids of the war last niglit.. An Air Ministry communique says that aircraft of the Bomber Command carried out the attack and caused large fires, many of which burned fiercely.

The raid was one of the heaviest »yot made and many large fires were left burning in the centre of the city, says the Air Ministry. Great damage was also caused in the industrial area at Hamburg, the shipbuilding centre at Kiel, and the dock area at Cherbourg.

Four of our aircraft are missing from these operations. A patrol ship olf the Dutch coast was attacked bv Blenheims and left in a sinking position. The Germans admit the attack on Berli n. The raid on Kiel was the second hammering this important naval base has had within 2-1 hours. The British Official Wireless reports that during a reconnaissance flight by a Flying Fortress aircraft of the Bomber Command on Saturday bombs were dropped on the docks at Kiel. In daylight yesterday the Royal Air Force continued its attacks on enemy bases and works in Germany and German-occupied territory. In Northern France attacks were made on a number of enemy troop concentrations and other objectives. CRASH LANDING.

Side-slipping over the English countryside to keep the fumes from a damaged aircraft away from the cockpit, a Fighter Command Spitfire pilot made a sale crash landing in a field ID days ago. Only to-dav in hospital was he able to tel! tbo story of liow lie brought the machine safely back after an offensive sweep over Northern France, in which he destroyed two Messerschniitts “Mv leader and J were returning from the sweep when wo sighted some Messcrschmitts below us,” he said. “I got on the tail of one of them and gave him a burst of cannon and mach-ine-gun fire. His port wing fell off, and down lie went. .Just Indore reaching the clouds another Messersclunif t overshot me, and I got in a lovely burst and sent him down. As 1 approached the sand dunes on the French coast, lots of light flak opened up, and something went an awful crack against the armour plating, causing my right shoulder to sting. “I was just coming up toward Shoppy at 400 ft when my engine spluttered and clouds of smoke came out. I had to side-slip to keep the fumes out, and travelling at about 100 miles an hour I shoved the flaps down. Luckily they worked, but as I had to straighten up just then the fumes began again, and the last I can remember was seeing a hedge, which was ony 300 yards away, getting very dim and waving about in front of me.” —Official Wireless.