Bombs Land Right on Battleships

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 110, 10 May 1941, Page 7

Bombs Land Right on Battleships

R.A.F. MAKES SURE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 8. Last night’s weather in the northwest corner of France gave the B.A.F. an opportunity to make sure of doing effective damage to the German battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, states the Air Minstry. The docks and harbour of Brest la? exposed in moonlight, and our crews could plainly see the Gneisenau in dry dock and the Scharnhorst moored up against a jetty near the torpedo-boat base. . The attack was made with no less deliberation than precision. The bombs had to be dropped not only in the right place, but from the right height, and battle-cruisers make a very small target when seen at a height from which a heavy armour-piercing bomb will fall with enough force to penetrate the specially-protected decks of battle-cruisers.

Some of the pilots used the alternative method of diving rapidly on to the target so that the speed of the aircraft was added to the momentum of the bomb.

One such dive was made from over 10,000 feet, and the bomb was released on the way, the pilot continuing to dive to about 2000 feet before straightening out. The whole of his crew were confident that the Gneisenau had been hit. Another crew claimed direct hits on the vessels.

One very heavy armour-piercing bomb burst immediately forward of the funnel of the Gneisenau. An equally heavy bomb was seen to burst in the forepart of the Scharnhorst, and a large, brilliant explosion which followed it lit up the whole ship. There were also many near misses beside both ships which may well have done further substantial damage.