DARING RAIDS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 267, 13 October 1941, Page 5

DARING RAIDS

R.A.F. OPERATIONS

SHIPS AND LAND TARGETS. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 11 a.in.) RUGBY, Oct. 12.

Beauforts, Hudsons, Blenheims and fig-liters of the Coastal Command last night- continued their offensive against enemy shipping and land targets on the Norwegian coast.

From before midnight until near dawn aircraft crossed the North Sea and bombed and machine-gunned targets from AaJesund to Lister. Their successes included a medium-sized supply ship left in flames and two hits on a smaller vessel. A herring oil factory was also bombed, and aircraft and buildings on an aerodrome riddled with machine-gun bullets. A large ship which was heavily escorted was found in iSigue Fiord by a low-flying Hudson. Swinging round to bring the vessel into tlie moonlight, the Hudson dived through a curtain of fire to 20ft. The pilot had to pull up 6harply to clear the masts, but so low was tbo aircraft when the bombs were unloaded that the second pilot heard them thudding on to the deck. Two bombs certainly scored bits, and it is believed that two others also found their mark. A few seconds after the Hudson flew over there was a series of violent explosions amidships on the vessel and a column of white smoko drifted up, followed by sheets of flame, and when the Hudson was 30 miles away the ship could still be seen blazing fiercely. Later a Beaufort patrolling the the coas.t near Aalesund located a smaller ship at anchor in a bay. A lowlevel bombing attack was made and two bits scored. Sparks and smoke rose up and as the Beaufort left the ship appeared to be sinking rapidly.

Another Hudson attached an important herring oil factory on the Norwegian coast; high-explosives and incendiaries were dropped and a shower of sparks first shot into tlie air. The pilot said; “1 saw next an enormous column of greyish matter go up. 1 think it must have been some land of oil; it rose 100 ft above the Hudson and spread out like a gigantic Icelandic geyser.” Blenheim fighters made a rooftop machine-gun attack on the Lister aerodrome, taking the place completely by surprise. The first Blenheim over saw a twin-engined aircraft about to take off; it was taxi-ing across tlie tarmac and the Blenheim swept low, sweeping the Nazi machine with bullets. Tho aircraft stopped suddenly as bullets poured into it. Another Blenheim fired hundreds of rounds into hangars and other buildings on the aerodrome. * An Admiralty communique states that an enemy bomber which attacked one of our convoys in the North Sea on Friday night was shot down in flames by H.M.S. Seawater, one of the escort. No casualties or damage were suffered by tlie convoy or its escorts. The people ol Ramsgate this morning were given a thrilling grandstand demonstration of the firing power of the new .Hurricane. They saw at least two enemy ships destroyed during the Hurricanes’ sweep over the Channel.

The visibility was so good that an enemy convoy could be seen travelling down the French coast from the direction of Dunkirk. The Hurricanes. some carrying four cannon and the others twelve machine-guns, diver] to the attack and almost immediately one ship blew up.

The Hurricanes then made a mass attack on a larger ship, which was set on fire and then exploded, leaving a pall of smoke hanging over the spot. The German long-range guns on the French coast fired several shells into the Dover area this afternoon at intervals of about five minutes; shattering explosions shook coastal buildings.

GERMAN CENTRES BLASTED. Aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked Emden and other objectives in North-West Germany last night, when large fires were lei t burning. On Friday night over 200 bombers were out. The main targets were in the Ruhr and the Rhineland and there were subsidiary attacks on the docks at Rotterdam,' Ostend, Dunkirk and Bordeaux. Ten aircralt of the Bomber Command are missing.

Enemy aerodromes in Holland and France were attacked during the night by Fighter Command Havocs, says the Air Ministry News Service. At one aerodrome in Holland a load of incendiary bombs started one large fire and two smaller ones. At another Dutch aerodrome used by the Lultwafl'c a number of high-explosive bombs were dropped and a large aircraft was seen to be on fire on the ground. The Havocs then circled the aerodrome and dropped more bombs around the blaze.

Enemy activity over Britain on Saturday night was on a small scale. Bombs were dropped at a point in the eastern area of England, three being killed. At one point in South Wales there was a small number of casualties, but the damage was not large Two enemy aircraft were destroyed during the night; one'of these collided with an R.A.F. ’plane which was also destroyed. The German News Agency says tho Luftwaffe bombed Hull during Friday night and that explosions and fires were observed in the city area.—Official Wireless.