Greater Striking Power of R.A.F.

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 96, 23 April 1941, Page 7

Greater Striking Power of R.A.F.

SECRET BOMB LONDON, April 2. The secret of the new and very powerful bombs which the R.A.F. used for the first time during a raid on Emden on March 25, is believed to lie in their concentrated power and not in their weight. The comparative lightness of the new type of bomb, it is stated, will extend the area in Europe which the R.A.F. can attack heavily. An Air Ministry communique states that the bombs used in the Emden raid were the most powerful yet carried by the R.A.F. Compared with the average German or British bomb, it states, the new bomb is as a howitzer shell is to a field gun shell. Pilots who used the new type of bomb reported that they resulted in “colossal flashes” and that debris was flung high in the air. Ordinarily the occupants of planes at such a height would not be able to see debris, and it is therefore certain that enormous destruction resulted.It is generally accepted that “the boys in the back room” produced the new type, which is the most deadly thing ever produced. The Air Ministry revealed before the new type of bomb was announced that R.A.F. bombers can now carry 10,000 lbs. of bombs. Carrying the same load of the latest bomb, it is estimated that the destructive weight of attacks on Germany can be increased by about 50 per cent. The War Correspondent of the Daily Herald states: “British technicians worked throughout the winter evolving the new explosive. The work was ardous and dangerous.” The Air Correspondent of the Daily Mail says: “The bombs are made from a formula which is one of Britain’s most closely guarded war secrets. ”